Pathetic Mainstream Media Jump To Erroneous Conclusions (of course) About Ickonic Film ‘A Good Death?’ With The BBC’s Rhys Williams Under The Deeply False Impression That He’s A ‘Journalist’
By Jacqui Deevoy
After trying for months to get the U.K. mainstream media interested in what I believed to be the story of the decade and being pretty much ignored, I was delighted when I was given the opportunity by Ickonic Media to shape the story into a film.
As co-producer and presenter of ‘A Good Death?’, my main aim was to give a voice to people whose loved ones had been cruelly euthanised in NHS facilities across Britain.
They came to me one by one after I’d been interviewed by David Icke for a podcast. Within a few months, I’d spoken to countless distraught people, all telling me the same thing – that their loved ones had been killed by NHS nurses and doctors and that no one would believe them. Their heart-breaking stories were too similar to ignore.
I did some investigating and uncovered some sinister and unsavoury truths. I got a few of the bereaved relatives onto internet radio and TV shows. I continued pitching to mainstream papers to no avail.
Jaymie Icke, who runs Ickonic, was aware of my plight and came up with the idea of turning my pitch into a documentary. I jumped at the chance. What better way to share these horrific yet heart-rending tales!
I loved working on ‘A Good Death?’ with Ickonic. It took three months to complete and we worked hard. Some days, towards the end, we were working on it 20 hours a day. The final edit was made on December 4th 2021 and our small team was incredibly proud of the finished product and looked forward to showing it off.
Anna Redfern, owner of a small cinema in Swansea (Cinema & Co) offered to host the premiere at the venue. Anna had been in the news for refusing to insist her customers show jab passports. As a result, she had to attend court several times and was fined £15,000. Ms. Redfern, a single mum, fought for her right to keep her business open and made a valiant attempt to stay open before Swansea council finally shut her down. Ickonic has great admiration for warrior Anna and was delighted when offered the use of the cinema to showcase ‘A Good Death?’
On December 5th, a full house watched the first public showing of the film. Families involved in the documentary were amongst those present that evening and it was a bitter-sweet thing seeing their reactions. The film can be watched here for free until 11pm on October 8th: https://www.ickonic.com/Dashboard/Watch/1163
One month later, the BBC (always a bit slow on the uptake) got wind of the film and got one of their not-so-intrepid reporters to investigate. The published hot piece was an utter joke: the reporter – Rhys Williams – had done no research whatsoever, had not contacted anyone at Ickonic (but said we didn’t respond), and had clearly not watched the film. The article was riddled with falsehoods and errors. In one paragraph, he claimed the film was produced by ‘conspiracy theorist’ David Icke; in another, he writes that it was produced by “the Icke brothers.” He wheeled out all the hackneyed old stuff about Mr. Icke snr. believing the Queen’s a lizard and that he’s the son of God (yawn) and described the film as a conspiracy theory movie. (Double yawn.)
My favourite part was quite possibly the quote from a self-proclaimed “expert” on the Icke family!! Hilarious.
I won’t spoil it for you. If you fancy a few laughs, read it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59853848
I felt compelled to pen an email, as did Jaymie. Within minutes, the article had been edited, stating that Jaymie had been in touch after seeing the piece. No mention of what he actually said though!
Here’s my email to the ‘journalist’ who wrote the story:
“Mr. Williams
I’ve just read your article – the one that mentions the documentary I researched, co-produced and presented and felt compelled to contact you.
I’ve been a journalist and editor for 36 years and have to say this is the flabbiest, sloppiest piece of ‘journalism’ I’ve ever seen.
Have you actually watched the film? It seems pretty clear to me that you haven’t.
Your piece is full of lies. David Icke was not involved in the making of this documentary, nor was it made by “the Icke brothers”. You have done no research. You did not contact anyone involved in the making of the film despite saying you did. You failed to get quotes from the producers, directors or from me. You also failed to get quotes from Anna Redfern. As a result, the article is amateurish, biased, one-sided and ridiculous.
You need to go back to journalism school. People like you make me ashamed to be a journalist.
I’d appreciate a reply and would also appreciate a published apology for your lies.
I’m also writing to your editor and making a formal complaint to the BBC. You’ll also be hearing from my solicitor.
Looking forward to your response.
Regards,
Jacqui Deevoy
Two days later, I spotted copycat articles in the Mail Online and the Metro. More rubbish. Nothing more than pathetic regurgitations of the BBC piece. Journalists these days seem to have no qualms about copying a story and sticking their own name on it. There used to be a name for that: byline banditry. Only the lowest of the low would put their own byline on another journalist’s work. I’ve been a victim of it many times. It really does happen and the so-called journalists who make a habit of doing it really are despicable.
I decided to write to my contact at the Mail Online. We’ve worked together for years and she’s always been very pleasant and reasonable. I actually feel sorry for her doing the job she does and hope that soon she’ll see the light and dissociate herself from the crooks that own the media. Here’s what I wrote to her:
Hi xxxxxx
Happy New Year.
I’m very disappointed to see that this pathetic ‘article’, which has pretty much been copied from the dreadful hit piece written by the amateurish BBC journalist Rhys Williams yesterday, has been published by the Mail Online.
It focuses mainly on cinema owner Anna Redfern but also makes wild allegations on the documentary I produced with Ickonic Media.
The Mail Online article is full of inaccuracies and there has been no attempt to contact me or anyone else involved in the making of the film. Real journalism requires critical thinking and balance and, as you know, it’s also a good idea to perhaps get some quotes from the people mentioned in the story. Journalism is not about regurgitating lies.
I have become increasingly disappointed in the way papers (print and online) operate these days and articles like this make me ashamed to call myself a journalist.
I understand you may not have commissioned this (although how a copied story gets commissioned is anyone’s guess), but I wanted to let you know how I feel. I’ve always had a great working relationship with the Mail Online but seeing the undeniable drop in quality of the writing, I don’t feel I can be associated with you anymore. The Mail has become a laughing stock, a comic and many of the so-called writers that are used are beyond a joke.
Do you have the email address for Kate Dennett? I’d like to speak to her. So would my lawyer.
Thanks.
I then wrote to the newly-resigned editor of the Mail Online – Martin Clarke. As follows:
“Dear Mr. Clarke
Congratulations on your resignation. (I’ve been a freelance journalist for 36 years and, much of the time these days, I feel like resigning myself.)
I gather you’re still available in an advisory capacity, so I’m copying you in on this email, sent by me to one of your editors earlier this evening.
This is the article I refer to in that email:
I’d appreciate your comments.
Thanks.”
I also contacted a journalist at The Times who’d been chasing Anna Redfern for an interview. As he seemed to have a keen interest in the film she’d showcased, I offered myself as an interviewee.
The following day, I sent chaser emails to all four. As yet, there has been no response.
All this goes to highlight the terrible standard of journalism the public is subjected to. It’s as if the papers are being run by teenagers, while the grown ups – the old school journalists – reeling in despair, ‘step down’. The lunatics have well and truly taken over the asylum and true journalism has gone right down the toilet.
I used to tell people not to believe everything they read in the papers: now I tell them not to believe ANYTHING they read in the papers. RIP, real journalism, you’re going to be missed.
(‘A Good Death?’ is showing all day on Saturday January 8th at Ickonic.com. Tune in and see what all the fuss is about!)