Exposé

by Paul Ilett

  “What does it say?” he asked, as a cold wave of panic spread across every inch of his enormous frame. “What does it say?” he yelled, when no one answered him.

  “It says ‘Peeping Tom shame of pervert Ear photographer’,” Felicity said, trying to keep her repulsion from affecting the tone of her voice. “He’s got an old hard drive from your computer. It was damaged but he’s got a team of specialists who were able to extract hundreds of images from it. These included pictures from the women’s changing rooms at the London Aquatics Centre.”

  Jason was shaking his head. “Not mine,” he said. “Not my hard drive. It’s a lie. He’s made it up.” Beads of sweat started to burst from almost every pore on his head as, with growing alarm, he saw the expression of every single face in the newsroom change from shock to disgust. “You know Adam Jaymes,” he said, pleading to be heard. “He hates me. He’d do anything to get me. Anything. He’s made this up. I wouldn’t be surprised if he took the pictures himself. To frame me. He’s trying to frame me.”

  “For the love of God, shut up man!” Twigg growled. He then leaned in close and spoke directly into Jason’s ear through gritted teeth. “It says the pictures must have been taken with a sophisticated spy camera. That’s the equipment you bought last year, isn’t it? My signature is on that purchase order. You got me to sign-off on this?”

  Jason pushed Twigg away and then glanced urgently from face to face, all around the newsroom, desperately searching for someone, anyone, who looked as though they might believe him. But there were no reassuring smiles or comforting gestures of support. There was nothing but disgust. The only scrap of empathy came from Valerie and Colin, who gazed down at him with something that was halfway between revulsion and pity. “Jason, dear,” Valerie said, softly. “There’s no coming back from this.”

  CHAPTER 17

  “True to his word, he has now handed the hard drive to Scotland Yard. The Metropolitan Police say they are urgently reviewing its content, and have called in a team of specialists to help identify when and where each photograph was taken, and the identity of any of the women in the pictures. Although Adam Jaymes’ exposé centres on images allegedly take during the 2012 Olympics, the BBC has learnt there are hundreds of images spanning a period of up to 12 years”

  A man whose entire career consists of lying on the floor taking pictures up women’s skirts. And everyone’s shocked? Seriously? #ProjectEar

  when almost 50 female television presenters and actresses threatened to boycott the National Television Awards in protest of Spade’s conduct at the previous year’s event. One called Spade ‘an aggressive sex pest’ and accused the police of failing to take appropriate action to protect

  >> Two plus two equals bore <<

  Has Adam Jaymes peaked too soon?

  When Adam Jaymes started his hilarious crusade against The Daily Ear, we girded our loins ready for a few weeks of titillating fun.

  It kicked off in superb style when pint-sized ‘kiss-and-tell’ muckraker Colin Merroney was whacked live on Newsnight. Jaymes’ brilliant follow-up story involved gay-bashing battle-axe Valerie Pierce getting well and truly shafted by her secret gay ex-husband.

  But now all the enjoyment’s been sucked out of ‘Project Ear’ with two further revelations that are far too serious. Where’s the fun gone? If the next exposé isn’t an exclusive photograph of Estelle Harvey’s long-lost man-bits, we’re boycotting the whole thing!

  @GaysHorseSanctuary Thank you @RealAdamJaymes & @TheSunNewspaper. We are now open again. Mum would be incredibly proud. Please RT

  “took a more sinister turn, with the most disturbing revelation to date. Jason Spade is a man with a reputation for harassing female celebrities. He has been investigated by the police on a number of occasions, most recently after last year’s National Television Awards. But despite serious complaints ranging from stalking and verbal abuse to threatening behaviour, no charges have ever been brought against him. This latest development will doubtlessly put the apparent inaction of the police back under an uncomfortable spotlight”

  The readers of Doctor Who Magazine just voted Joe the second greatest companion of all time. After Sarah Jane Smith, of course #DoctorWho

  Remind me never to piss off @RealAdamJaymes

  The car manufacturer Ford is the latest major company to suspend all advertising with the beleaguered newspaper, owned by the Harvey News Group. More than 30 companies, including M&S, Virgin and Barclays, have already pulled their advertisements from future editions of the paper and a raft of other firms are facing increasing customer demands to follow suit

  “was made chairman of the short-lived Press Photographers’ Standards Board, a working group that appeared to have no genuine remit or jurisdiction. In fact, some considered it to be little more than a PR stunt aimed at preventing a police investigation into the Daily Ear and – most notably – its star photographer, Jason Spade. Joining me in the studio is the Press Association’s Pictures Editor”

  @RealAdamJaymes you’re as guilty of exploiting the women in those photographs as the pervert who took them.

  no arrests have been made. In a statement Harvey News Group said: "We note the allegations made today concerning the content of a hard drive alleged to have belonged to a member of staff at the Daily Ear. We will work closely with the Metropolitan Police. A member of staff has been suspended from his duties while the matter is investigated. We cannot comment further at this time”. However, outraged members of the Olympics committee have threatened

  Does anyone know where I can get one of those spy cameras? For purely legitimate reasons of course ;) ... #ProjectEar

  “with growing pressure on the chief executive of the Harvey News Group, Sam Harvey, to close the paper which is due to celebrate its 50th anniversary in just two years’ time. It’s believed such a move could cost the group something in the region of half a billion pounds and put about 300 employees out of work”

  The actor was spotted entering the building by the back door last night, ahead of private talks with the Daily Ear’s senior staff. Clearly, they believed direct talks with Jaymes were their last chance to avoid further damaging revelations. However, our sources suggest the meeting did not go well. It lasted a matter of minutes and ended when Jaymes published his latest exposé – something he apparently did while sitting in the editor’s office. And so, with no deal to be brokered with Jaymes, what next for the Daily Ear?

  CHAPTER 18

  Leonard Twigg was angry. His newspaper was haemorrhaging money, the NUJ was threatening a staff walkout and the police had just arrived with a warrant to search the Ear’s offices and computers. Amid everything else he had to manage, including a frenzy of media calls and interview demands, he was still expected to get his paper out. On top of all of that, the absolute cherry on his cake that morning, was the summons to the top floor from his jumped-up chief executive for an urgent meeting. It was not something he was used to; Twigg did not go to see people, people came to see him. As the lift reached the executive floor and its gleaming silver doors parted in front of him, he unhappily came face to face with Oonagh Boyle who had moved well beyond any pretence of camaraderie. “He’s waiting for you in his office,” she said with a knowing smile, before disappearing into the lift behind him.

  Twigg marched straight into Sam’s office and found him sitting behind his desk looking somewhat more professional than usual. Even his tie was correctly knotted for once. “I’m busy,” Twigg said with great irritation. “Do you have any idea what’s going on downstairs?”

  “I believe the police have just arrived,” Sam replied with a cool, matter-of-fact tone to his voice. “Please sit down.”

  Twigg needed to short-cut the meeting as best he could, so did as he was asked in the hope he could get it over and done with as quickly as possible. “And?” he snapped.

  Sam had always been intimidated by Twigg; indeed, he was the main reason Sam had never wanted to work at the Daily Ear. There was something about
him he found alarming. Even though technically Sam was the boss, Twigg’s monstrous self-confidence and passive-aggressive manner easily eliminated any illusions of authority. But this day was different. Before he had even left the house, Sam had spent more than an hour on the phone to his father. Howard had been supportive and appeared pleased with the way Sam was handling things and was less pleased with the way Twigg had behaved. In fact, the call had been so good that Sam had arrived at work with his own self-confidence lifted. As a result, when Twigg entered his office Sam didn’t feel the usual gnawing in his stomach or tightening in his throat. He no longer saw a powerful, frightening juggernaut of a man but just another Daily Ear employee who was seriously under-performing.

  “Leonard, things have gone from bad to worse and right now I have two options. One is to keep the paper open and the other is to close it. It really is that simple. And right now, for Harvey Media International, option two is the most attractive.”

  Twigg didn’t want to hear any nonsense about his newspaper, his beloved Daily Ear, closing down. It was everything to him. It was his power, his influence, his social life, his sense of worth. If the Ear closed, it would take everything with it.

  “And to make matters even worse, Leonard, I now have reason to be concerned about your performance. Since this started, you have made a number of bad calls and your conduct in the meeting with Adam Jaymes was less than helpful.”

  Twigg was silent and simply stared at Sam in a manner that was clearly supposed to put him on edge.

  “Leonard, we should have been able to draw a line under this whole sorry matter days ago. We should have responded sooner and in a more productive manner.”

  “Isn’t retrospect a wonderful thing, Sam?” Twigg said, looking at his watch.

  “This isn’t about retrospect, Leonard. It’s about making the right decisions, taking advantage of the right opportunities in the right way. I am increasingly concerned that your choices are not in the best interests of this newspaper or this company. Yesterday, you were baiting Adam Jaymes to such an extent - ”

  “That meeting was a mistake,” Twigg cut in, showing a typical lack of respect for someone else’s opinion. “Jaymes had no intention of finding any compromise.”

  “You were like a red rag to a bull. You may as well have published the story about Jason Spade yourself.”

  Twigg stood up and looked down on Sam. “I have a paper to get out,” he said. “I shall speak with your father this afternoon and make it clear that your appointment as chief executive of this company has been nothing short of a - ”

  “You will not be speaking to Howard Harvey again,” Sam stated, his voice surprisingly strong and clear. “I’ve agreed with my father that we need clarity in his communications with this company and so, from now on, I am the only person at the Harvey News Group he will speak to.” As Sam’s words cascaded through the air, Twigg could feel them stripping him of his advantage. In any management disagreement, his ‘special relationship’ with Howard Harvey had always been his trump card. Howard had entrusted Twigg with the authority to do pretty much whatever he wanted, from hiring and firing staff to changing editorial policy and, on occasion, political allegiances. That sort of power was not something he was prepared to surrender so easily, even if it put him in a direct fight with the Harvey heir. “I’ll be speaking to your father.”

  “Sit down, Twigg,” Sam ordered firmly and pointed at the empty seat so there would be no misunderstanding as to who was in charge. Twigg did as he was told but his mind was racing. This had come out of the blue. He hadn’t spoken to Howard for a few days but there had been no indication that this was on the cards. Twigg wanted to leave Sam’s office that second, get back to his own desk to call Howard and speak with him, and to make sure that this had all been a terrible misunderstanding. He did not, would not, believe that he could be cut off so completely after 30 years of loyal service.

  “For the record, my father agrees with me that calling Adam Jaymes in was a good plan. And, like me, he is disappointed that you failed to make the most of that opportunity.”

  “He said that himself, did he?” Twigg asked. He hated that, for once, he was on the receiving end of a second-hand conversation involving Howard Harvey. He wondered if this is what it had been like for Gayesh and all the other senior staff he had dispensed with over the years.

  Sam didn’t waver. He didn’t rise to the bait and remained impeccably cool and in control. “Yes, he said that himself,” he replied. “And, to clarify, we have agreed that he will deal directly with me, and only me, on all matters regarding the Daily Ear and the Harvey News Group from now on. He will not accept phone calls or respond to emails from anyone else, and that includes you. I will of course pass on any relevant or important comments or questions. But any conversations you want to have with Howard, from now on, you will have with me.”

  Twigg had always known that this day might come, that his absolute rule at the Ear might eventually be usurped by the Harvey boy. But he hadn’t expected it to be so soon and certainly hadn’t thought it would be now. He knew the coming weeks were going to be tough but he had absolute faith that he and his paper would survive. Once Project Ear was done and dusted, he had hoped to get everything back to normal as quickly as possible. He planned to have a meeting with Howard where they would agree to send Sam back to LA and dispense with Oonagh Boyle altogether. But he now realised he had underestimated them both. Sam and Oonagh had headed him off at the pass.

  “My father and I are also increasingly concerned that Adam Jaymes is finding stories about our staff that we are clearly unaware of ourselves.”

  “No one could have known what Jason was doing,” Twigg replied, brusquely.

  “And yet someone outside of this organisation found out. What’s worse, you signed the purchase order. You gave a photographer who has a track record of taking indecent photographs the money to buy a camera specifically designed for spying.” Sam dropped a sheet of paper across the desk. It was a print out from the website which sold specialist spy camera equipment. “It’s a micro high resolution digital spy camera. It’s called the PP-10 although, online, it’s known as the Peeping Tom. And you signed it off.”

  Twigg leaned forward to look at the print out and gently fingered the sheet of paper. He remembered a rushed conversation he’d had with Jason years earlier. The pictures editor had refused to sign-off the purchase and so Jason had gone above her head and asked Twigg to approve it instead. Twigg remembered he had been a little uncomfortable with the idea of Jason having a spy camera. But he also remembered how Jason had made promises of all the affairs, hypocrisies and lewd behaviour they could expose with it. Twigg had allow himself to be won over. “I sign dozens of purchase orders every week. I will not be held responsible for this,” he said.

  “Really?” Sam asked. “But if not you, then who?”

  Twigg chose not to respond. He sat back in his chair and folded his arms once more. “I did mention that the police are here, didn’t I?” he said, petulantly.

  Sam nodded. “Yes,” he said. “And before I send you back to your office, you should know that I’ve made a few changes this morning to our management structure. They will be announced to the senior staff this afternoon.”

  “Changes?” Twigg asked. He had never felt so powerless in his life. It was not a sensation he intended to get used to.

  “I’ve given Oonagh Boyle some additional responsibilities. Howard is very impressed with her and, I must admit, I am too.”

  “And what are these ‘additional responsibilities’?” Twigg enquired, feeling the rug was about to be well and truly pulled from under him.

  “I have appointed her executive editor for Harvey News Group. She’ll be over all in charge of both the Daily Ear and the website and hold an editorial oversight of all of our regional media, too.”

  “What?”

  “You will now report to Oonagh, not me.”

  “I will what?”

  “I’ve a
lso explained to Oonagh my concerns about your performance. I’ve asked her to do a piece of work with you, starting immediately, to try to help your professional development. We’ve agreed objectives for you, and linked them to some key performance indicators. I think it will be a very useful process for you, Leonard.”

  Twigg’s face was screwed up with rage and hatred and he could feel the usual red mist rising before his eyes. “You have asked Oonagh Boyle to performance manage me?” he growled. His mind was racing, rapidly filling up with anger and violent thoughts. “Quit! Just quit”, a voice was screaming in his head, “and tell the pompous brat to shove his job up his arse!” But even with the onset of a blazing rage, he knew the cold, sobering truth of his predicament. He had burnt too many bridges in the industry to foolishly think there would be a queue of offers waiting for him outside of the Ear. He had seen what had happened to his peers over the years, the other industry giants who had come and gone and – at best – found a place for themselves as commentators, columnists or lesser radio stars. If he resigned there would be nothing left for him. “I see,” he eventually replied, almost as a hiss. “I’m sure her advice will be invaluable.”

  “If I choose to keep the Ear open, Leonard, then business-as-usual is not an option,” Sam said. “Like it or not, I have to demonstrate that I’m listening to our readers and the public. I’m also under pressure from other newspaper groups to improve our performance. There’s growing concern in the industry that the government might use this paper’s conduct as grounds to legislate against press freedom. They want a sign from me that we can change, that we are responding to all the criticisms and anger that are being directed at us. I trust Oonagh to make that change.”