British writers are known for creating some of the best children’s literature on the planet. Although many are not aware of their origin, books like Alice in Wonderland, Humpty Dumpty, Treasure Island, and the Chronicles of Narnia all have British origins. Hands down, Britain has turned out some of the greatest writers in history. However, it was not until recent that I learned about a few modern British writers who act like children themselves.
It was an August 2012 article written by Nick Cohen of the Observer that sparked my interest and caused me to look further into what he was saying within. In the article, he states that journalists and writes are treated differently in Britain than they are in America. His point of the article is that journalists in the United Kingdom can get away with anything, including plagiarism, while journalists in the United States will lose their job and their careers for doing the same thing. While Mr. Cohen makes some good points, his logic failed him when it comes to what journalists and writers can “get away with.”
Robert Dougans, Science writer Simon Singh and Observer journalist Nick Cohen (far right) at the Royal Courts of Justice, 23rd February 2010. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Although not a big fan of Cohen, I do read his work as he has written some brilliant articles. However, it was this particular article that seems to be something so different than his normal writing, it makes me suspect that he has lumped himself in with the British journalists he refers to. “They are more devious and much darker and stranger than their foreign counterparts,” Cohen says referring to the Brits. “Our frauds do not just want to make money, but to humiliate their rivals as they play out their revenge fantasies on the web.” Cohen also states that, “Americans are one-dimensional,” and “tend to be journalists of average ability who want the status of a great writer and the money that comes with it.” Ah, now he gets it.
American journalists are one-dimensional. The current trend with American journalists is to write more “left leaning” Liberal press that caters to the Democratic White House and US Senate. That is obvious and Cohen hit it right on the head. What he failed to do is show how journalism has anything to do with the rest of his article. Cohen talks about journalism but then uses the example of author Stephen Leather, a best-selling British novelist. He talks about Leather and promotional methods where Leather posts comments about his books on forums from different names and “various characters.” Great job, but I still don’t see the point.
British thriller author Stephen Leather, attacked regularly by author Stephen Duns.
Reading further into the article, Cohen talks about another British writer by the name of Jeremy Duns who found that Leather was “nastier than that.” Cohen infers that Duns provided him with information about Leather picking on another writer by the name of Steve Roach. At this point Cohen I can no longer make a connection with the article as it reads as if someone else wrote it and Cohen posted it. It was then that a quick Google search for “Stephen Leather Jeremy Duns” turned out a lengthy post on Mr. Duns’ blog. The post, entitled “Some Questions for Stephen Leather,” was a 2,900 word blog post about a feud he has with Leather. The blog comes equipped with bullet points, questions, and even screen shots of Leather’s Facebook account. What is interesting about the post is that Steve Roach is one of the people who comment on the post and states that Duns keeps taking his words out of context. So why all the hostility?
Looking up information on both authors could help explain why. Amazon.com has six books written by Duns, two of which you can obtain on Kindle. Amazon.com has forty one books written by Leather, thirty one of which are available on Kindle. Either Duns is jealous of Leather or Leather and Duns are in cahoots to stir up controversy to promote each other’s books. Either way, it is clear that there is some child’s play going on in the world of British thrill writing. What gets me is how Cohen involved himself since his article was written almost a month before the blog post appeared. Kind of makes you wonder if Cohen is in with these two as well.
So, Mr. Cohen, thank you for pointing out that American journalists are one-dimensional. That is something I have been saying for years and my family has had the unfortunate opportunity to hear me say many times. But pointing out that British writers and journalists are frauds and then writing a story based on a blog post is putting you in the same category.
