Over on the Bletherskite website on their article about Scots Titles, there are some interesting comments. Most recently commenter Darthula has been pointing out some of the claims made by Peter Bevis of Highland Titles, which have very definitely not come true. I'd thoroughly recommend reading all the posts, they are very illuminating on a range of matters.
http://www.bletherskite.net/2011/02/23/end-to-buying-a-fake-scottish-title/#comment-41576
Ignoring some of the other exposures for now, or this post would be in danger of turning into a book, I'll concentrate currently on just one of the subjects brought up. The Private Eye story about an Advertising Standards Authority finding that Highland Titles were linking to fake newspaper articles from their website. Mr Bevis, rather foolishly, seems very keen to claim that this story is untrue.
Some quotation from Mr Bevis on the Private Eye story.
"You or someone like you has fed Private Eye, The Mirror, The Scotsman and probably every other newspaper on the planet with an endless stream of cobblers. Somethimes these works of fiction even get published. That does not make them true. It simply makes you a mindless hooligan."
"You were lucky that Private Eye published your story without checking if it was accurate. That does not make it true. Private Eye is a rag"
Fairly clear then that Mr Bevis considers the story is untrue.
Now let us look at the truth of the matter.
The ASA stated the nature of the complaint in a Freedom of Information request response HERE
FACT - The Highland Titles website "about us" page did contain multiple links to cloned copies of real newspaper articles hosted using the domain name newsfeed.ws. The content of these copies had been altered to shed a more favourable light on Highland Titles than the originals.
FACT - A member of the public did report this matter to the Advertising Standards Authority.
FACT - The ASA investigated this and found that Highland titles were in fact linking to these fake stories from their website.
FACT - The ASA did contact Highland Titles about this matter, the result of which was that Highland Titles agreed to point the links to accurate copies of the newspaper articles.
FACT - as well as the linked to fake newspaper articles hosted on newsfeed.ws, there were other non linked ones to fake articles, one of which contained entirely false quotations from Scottish MSP Rob Gibson in which he appeared to support these fake "Laird Schemes", when in fact Mr Gibson is most definitely opposed to these schemes.
FACT - As well as fake newspaper articles, the same webspace also contained a pdf document stolen from the Baronage Press. This document had been altered to shed a favourable light on so called "Laird schemes", which was not the case with the original. The meta data contained in this document is identical to pdf documents produced by Highland Titles, the Author field of the meta data containing the initials PB .... Peter Bevis perhaps?
If Peter Bevis of Highland Titles is claiming that this Private Eye article is in any way substantially inaccurate, I would without any hesitation call Mr Bevis a liar.
http://www.bletherskite.net/2011/02/23/end-to-buying-a-fake-scottish-title/#comment-41576
Ignoring some of the other exposures for now, or this post would be in danger of turning into a book, I'll concentrate currently on just one of the subjects brought up. The Private Eye story about an Advertising Standards Authority finding that Highland Titles were linking to fake newspaper articles from their website. Mr Bevis, rather foolishly, seems very keen to claim that this story is untrue.
Some quotation from Mr Bevis on the Private Eye story.
"You or someone like you has fed Private Eye, The Mirror, The Scotsman and probably every other newspaper on the planet with an endless stream of cobblers. Somethimes these works of fiction even get published. That does not make them true. It simply makes you a mindless hooligan."
"You were lucky that Private Eye published your story without checking if it was accurate. That does not make it true. Private Eye is a rag"
Fairly clear then that Mr Bevis considers the story is untrue.
Now let us look at the truth of the matter.
The ASA stated the nature of the complaint in a Freedom of Information request response HERE
FACT - The Highland Titles website "about us" page did contain multiple links to cloned copies of real newspaper articles hosted using the domain name newsfeed.ws. The content of these copies had been altered to shed a more favourable light on Highland Titles than the originals.
FACT - A member of the public did report this matter to the Advertising Standards Authority.
FACT - The ASA investigated this and found that Highland titles were in fact linking to these fake stories from their website.
FACT - The ASA did contact Highland Titles about this matter, the result of which was that Highland Titles agreed to point the links to accurate copies of the newspaper articles.
FACT - as well as the linked to fake newspaper articles hosted on newsfeed.ws, there were other non linked ones to fake articles, one of which contained entirely false quotations from Scottish MSP Rob Gibson in which he appeared to support these fake "Laird Schemes", when in fact Mr Gibson is most definitely opposed to these schemes.
FACT - As well as fake newspaper articles, the same webspace also contained a pdf document stolen from the Baronage Press. This document had been altered to shed a favourable light on so called "Laird schemes", which was not the case with the original. The meta data contained in this document is identical to pdf documents produced by Highland Titles, the Author field of the meta data containing the initials PB .... Peter Bevis perhaps?
If Peter Bevis of Highland Titles is claiming that this Private Eye article is in any way substantially inaccurate, I would without any hesitation call Mr Bevis a liar.
