Calling the real Glynn Wilson
Posted by BrianFor quite some time now the Alabama online community has been regaled by a self proclaimed journalist named Glynn Wilson who runs the Locust Fork propaganda site. Glynn claims to be the most credentialed journalist in Alabama. Control your laughter.
I actually find him amusing because he is a total huckster who is unbelievably full of himself. I toy around with him every now and then, but the truth is that I enjoy having Glynn around. As a proponent of left wing causes I think Glynn does more to help out my side than I ever could.
Typically Glynn is content to berate anyone who comments on his site that dares to disagree with his bizarre conspiracy theories. That’s fine, it’s his site after all. Occasionally he ventures out to other blogs, typically so that he can boast about his own phony credentials, whine about anonymous commenters (even though he never uses his own name - ironic isn’t it), and try to direct traffic to his tinfoil hat site.
Lately things have escalated a bit, with someone - presumably Glynn - becoming considerably more hostile. Now I don’t have a problem with Glynn coming here and leaving a comment under his own name. He can say what he wants and I will respond in kind with all due respect. However, in the absence of conclusive proof that it is in fact Glynn leaving the comments I would be remiss to respond with comparable tenacity. The problem I see is that Glynn’s bullying style is rote. So much so that anyone could emulate it without much effort. What I don’t want to have happen is for an outside agitator (I’ve gotten a number of emails over the months from people who think Glynn is a hack) to stoke a flame war. That isn’t to say that I’m not 95% certain this is the real Glynn wrapped up in his own expansive ego, but you never know.
I’ve only had to ban one person from my site in over two years - and that was for a mixture of anti-semitic statements and personal attacks. I don’t want to ban Glynn, but I can’t allow this probable Glynn to continue in good conscience. I thought it was a bit of a joke when Daily Dixie added this policy just before Dan pulled down the site, but I think it may be a good idea. So, my new unofficial policy is that only the real Glynn Wilson can leave comments and only with verifiable contact info. Any and all comments from the real Glynn are welcome here. I would first like to see a concise list of his “credentials” that qualify as the most in the state.
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August 7th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Glynn sent me the following email:
####
From:Glynn Wilson [fast2write@charter.net]
Subject:You are next
You are next, you reactionary redneck fuckup..
August 7th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Found your site while researching the 1980s movie “Flashpoint” and decided to give you a view.
When I saw the post on Glynn Wilson I was given the best laugh of the day. Not so much by your writing style but through your use of keywords like “propaganda,” “huckster,” and my favorite, “credentials.”
I suppose that when you started blogging it never occurred to you that some bloggers are, in fact, former newspaper journalists. Many of us were on the cutting edge of the internet, like Glynn was. He began blogging before the word was coined. Where were you during this birth of one of the most powerful aspects of the Web?
I’ve seen his front page byline in the NYT. In your career, did you ever have a front page byline in any major newspapers?
There is a Glynn Wilson and I have known him for over a decade. When we first met him he was a practicing journalist and he has lasted far longer than I in the print media. His credentials are indeed real and for someone who doesn’t know Glynn to disbelieve in his reality you must believe Santa and the Easter Bunny exists.
Although I may not always agree with his politics I understand his methods; his use of metaphors, black humor and straightforward reportage. His opinions make one think about the bigger picture and his sense of humor is an acquired taste like a fine Cognac.
You need to lighten up, unbutton your tight shirt, drink a brew and take a closer look at the Internet. There are so many bloggers out there who portend to know the truth when they never bother to get other points of view or cover news events like Glynn does often.
The reply is authentic GW; he says what he feels about anyone wasting valuable bandwidth.
He is and he will continue exposing the corruption inherent in our system of government. You could be doing the same. As for expansive egos, man we all have them while we sit in the anonymous comfort of our homes or offices and post our opinions for dozens to millions to read, truthfully or not.
And now, back to my reading of the movie that led me here…
August 7th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Nice try. The web statistics suggest you didn’t arrive at this site via a search engine or by any other means that might be associated with researching a movie from the 80s.
I’m not arguing that Glynn doesn’t havesome journalistic credentials. (I’m furthermore not arguing that I do.) However, he once boasted about being the most credentialed journalist in the state, which must have hurt his back to stretch that hard. As for being a huckster, I have two words: Jill Simpson.
I will say that it is striking how you and Glynn have such comparable word and phrase usage habits, although you were quite a bit less hostile. Probably just a one in a million coincidence…
August 7th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Before you criticize check google under Flashpoint; I’m sure your legion of readers will be interested that your site is listed 6th and the 1984 movie is number 15.
Next time you call someone a liar on statistics be prepared to back them up.
I tried to make an intelligent reply to your original blog but I see that Glynn may have been right after all.
August 8th, 2008 at 5:33 am
I’m aware of the Google order for that keyword search. All I’m saying is that when people use Google or another search engine to reach my site it shows up as the referrer. Your entry to the site did not include that. Is it infallible? No, which is why I used the word “suggests.”
August 8th, 2008 at 5:40 am
BTW, what have you to say about Wilson’s claim to be the most credentialed journalist in Alabama? Do you agree? If so, please provide some supporting material so that the 99.9% of people who read this that do not believe his claim can become convinced.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Ninety-nine percent of 9 is what again?
First of all, Brian the redneck Auburn engineer who is obviously just trying to get some traffic by defaming my name, I don’t have to answer to you. You are in no position to act as a peer reviewer to ANY journalist in Alabama. You have NO credentials for that.
But you are entitled to put out your biased opinions and people can judge your site vs. mine or any other to see if there is any value in it.
Secomd, my credentials are on my site, linked above, and so people, including you, could go there and read all about them. I don’t hide like most of your GOP Red Bull drinking buddies who like to stir it up over on that favorite anonymous blog where you like to lie and cheat for reasons only you can know. Is it kicks? Or are you trying to get hired by be a paid member of Karl Rove’s right-wing attack machine?
But just this once, in the interest of attempting to educate you, here’s my answer to your question, which implies a real love for conservative, corporate local reporting - as opposed to national reporting.
Do you know of any reporter, editor or publisher in this state who holds three college and university degrees in journalism and mass communications? Not to mention all but the final dissertation defense on a fourth? That would have been a terminal degree, as we call it in the academic trade, but after 9/11, I decided I did not want to spend the rest of my life as a neutered research academic, spending my time grading papers from pupils like you.
Do you know any reporter or editor working for any newspaper in Alabama who has real national reporting experience? You know, the national desk of the New York Times, front page byline news features in the Christian Science Monitor out of Boston with national circulation, not just in one town in Alabama. I also have DC experience, where I covered the Abu Ghraib story for Time magazine and published articles in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (another Newhouse rag, but with more circulation than any of the one’s here in Alabama).
Do you know of any editor or reporter working for an Alabama newspaper who has experience reporting and writing for a much larger paper in a much larger state? While I will also criticism the Dallas Morning News from time to time as a credentialed media critic, according to Editor and Publisher it is one of the top 10 circulation newspapers in the U.S. No Alabama newspaper makes that list. Sorry.
In addition, I have been a member of the professional networking site LinkedIn for a number of years, and anyone can click on my name and read all about it on my site.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/glynnwilson
In addition to that, I have an academic style resume available on my site, which doesn’t include the research section I would post on a curriculum vitae if I were applying for academic jobs, which I am not. I like Web publishing. And I am the only Web publisher in Alabama actually making money at it.
http://www.locustfork.net/resume.html
There is also a bio page with many clips of my work that you could read until your heart’s desire was satisfied, if you were the type of person who was interested in reading something of note and finding out the truth.
http://www.locustfork.net/bio.html
One final note: I taught for nine years, but free-lanced as a writer the whole time, and for the past 12 years or so, I have been involved in Web publishing, including THE first magazine online, The Southerner.
Now if you can point to one other journalist in Alabama who has that much academic experience, national reporting experience and Web publishing experience, I would like to meet this person. Heck I might even hire them…
I’m afraid your friend GOP Girl Susan “Flip” Fillipi doesn’t qualify…
One final note on the reason I go so aggressively after George W. Bush on my site. It is not because he is a Republican. It is because he is a fuck up, maybe sort of like you, which is maybe why you like him so much, who never read the books in his college days. He has trashed this country and I am working to try to restore it. Now, you can continue to be a “reactionary,” which is what you openly call yourself, or you can join the revolution to help bring back Democracy to American shores.
By trying to tear me down, you are not doing your state your your country any favors. Which is why I do not read your site. You offer absolutely nothing in the way of good information to try and help the good people of Alabama understand what is going on. You just trash the people who are trying to get good information out.
Now, does that answer your question and satisfy you? I doubt it.
You are like Rove, who is a big fan of Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels, leader of the NSDAP’s propaganda unit, later the minister in charge of Nazi Propaganda and Hitler’s successor as the Chancellor.
Is that what you want? Are you the chief blogger to bring back the Third Riech? White Power? That’s what you look like to me, which Is why you are banned from commenting on my site. Good day.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Go to his site where he has an extensive profile on his career. There is nothing more to say on the subject; do your own research.
August 8th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
i love that email Brian, wonder if they learned glynn to speak like that when he got them there fancy degrees? Glynn, you are not important. You sole purpose is to feel important. It woudn’t surprise me if half of the commenters on your site were you pretending to post under assumed names, just to show some activity. It is pathetic that you venture out of your tinfoil encrusted house to even try and belittle others. Sure, people call you and shuler crazy, they wouldn’t if your weren’t. The only point i will give you is that i know your story about your mother, and anyone who comments on that is out of line. otherwise, you are fair game as you make others fair game when you slither out of locust fork into other areas. your ideas are assinine and anyone who wants to point that out can do so freely, not on your site mind you becuase you “block them” ooooh. You are sad, and so is roger.
August 9th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Not to really defend any real pure blogger….but how exactly would a Bama blogger really gain any credentials? Ifing this involves paying some deputy from Gadsden or attending some class at Athens State College….I’m doomed. I’m thinking alot of you guys are taking this blogging way too serious…which the Locust Fork might be…but then he’s apparently not alone. I’m personally waiting the Bama AG decision to either tax the heck out of blogging or put bloggers in the same category as sexual toys.
August 9th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Thanks for stopping by Glynn.
For such a big time credentialed journalist you sure are loose with the facts.
For starters, I am not “Reactionary.” He is a whole different person who also writes posts here from time to time. That is plainly obvious from reading the “Authors” section of the site.
Also, like I said before, I don’t even know this GOP Girl you obsess over. I searched and she did leave a comment here once. So have hundreds of other people - do I know all of them? I’m sure in your conspiracy theory mind everyone who doesn’t agree with you is aligned against you in a massive, coordinated scheme, but the real world is a bit less exciting.
Thanks for showing another sterling example of Godwin’s Law being fulfilled.
I couldn’t find a copy of your Aub Ghraib article (I don’t subscribe to any fancy, premium archive services, though). Would you mind sharing it with us?
“…favorite anonymous blog…” - Which blog are you referring to?
“…where you like to lie and cheat…” - Please, do provide specifics.
Also, I found this quote that was attributed to you:
“Watched the C-SPAN version this weekend. Interesting. Raise hell. But I’m afraid the mainstream just can’t handle a conspiracy theory of this magnitude. They are right that the New York Times is in on it, though, but not exactly like they think. The Times is now irrelevant, even though the TV talking heads still quote it from time to time. Anything to gain more traction in public opinion against Bush and co. is good, though. They have to be taken down. But there are plenty of high crimes and misdemeanors to go around, without having to prove that rogue intel wings were in on training the 9/11 hijackers. I’ve already reported part of this story, the part about the CIA and FBI being connected to the hijackers through the drug trade in Central America and Florida. But it’s just not a story frame that can be sustained. If true, America is over an done for. It may be anyway, but those with real money and power will find a way to prop it up…”
-Professor Glynn Wilson, University of Tennessee
Is that true? Do you really think 9/11 was some kind of an inside job? Did they misrepresent your credentials or did you mislead them, since you were never more than a GTA at UT according to your resume?
Let’s talk about shades of truth. You state on your own site and elsewhere that you were the “New Orleans bureau chief for the Dallas Morning News.” We both know that to be false. When confronted directly about this claim you backtracked and said that you were merely the free lance reporter for the DMN out of New Orleans. You even admitted that they didn’t even have a bureau in NO, but claimed that you ran your free-lance operation like a bureau. So let’s see the shades of truth. You claimed to be the bureau chief. False. Implicit in that claim is that you worked in the NO bureau. False, there wasn’t even a bureau! You were just a free-lance reporter there, but it sure sounds more impressive to call it a bureau. And since it was a pretend bureau typically composed of one person then that made you the de facto pretend bureau chief.
You said in a comment here that you were a “former New York Times reporter.” Were you ever actually a NY Times employee, as a reasonable person would infer from your claim, or did you just contribute as a free lancer like so many other aspiring journalists?
You have worked a lot of jobs. Have trouble holding on to any for an extended period of time? Could it have anything to do with your warm demeanor and objective reporting. I’m guessing they were looking for real jerks to push a right wing agenda and you are too principled for doing that.
And going way back to the whole most credentialed journalist claim you once made. I don’t doubt that you’ve taken quite a few journalism classes. Congratulations. But in the real world your achievements are not measured solely by your academic record. Warren Buffett doesn’t have the academic bona fides that many other financiers can claim, but you stack him up against almost anyone and I would bet that he is regarded as the most credentialed. I don’t pretend to know the academic record, award history, etc. for journalists at Alabama based publications or national journalists who happen to call Alabama home. I do know that when you made the claim there was a beaming example of one person who easily has more credentials than you: Pulitzer Prize winner Brett Blackledge. As you know Blackledge has since moved on from the B’ham News to the AP in Washington - and not as some back bench free-lancer. While here Blackledge reported on actual corruption, not just wild conspiracy theories.
At least we have one thing in common, Glynn. We both prefer Yuengling.
August 9th, 2008 at 11:59 am
glynn, read your comment again and “linkedin” isn’t prestigious, our receptionist is a member. i mean, she’s great at what she does but just graduated from college. i’m sure you’re real proud of that but probably wouldn’t put it up there on my credentials page.
August 12th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Even for that it simply cannot be good as there are no controls whatever on what one writes about oneself on Linked-In. The lies one sees people posting about themselves - from work experience to job titles - is astounding.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:56 am
I’m on a mission to discredit Glynn Wilson and so far I’ve struck gold.. First off he has no records at Loyola and I sent this from Glynn’s resume to an insider at UPI:
“1995-1996
Regional correspondent for the Washington Bureau of United Press International (UPI), Science and Technology desk. Also published an investigative story on the homeless problem in the Union-Recorder, the smallest circulation Knight-Ridder newspaper in Milledgville, Ga., and a Sunday book review in the Macon Telegraph on David Burnham’s latest book”
They have no record of him at all.
As well as this from his resume was found to be completely fabricated with no record of him at any of these publications:
“2000-2004
New Orleans correspondent, The Dallas Morning News; Southern regional correspondent, The Christian Science Monitor; contributing free-lance reporter for The New York Times, national desk; contributing writer for Gambit, the alternative weekly in New Orleans; stringer for UPI and The Doctor’s Guide to the Internet.”
And I’ve just started my dig into this guys career..
Now, do you think that if this guy has this kind of resume, he would be what seems to be a complete website hack. I have sources all over the state from the BBJ, B’ham News, Biz Al., as well as close friends at Ebsco and they tell me this guy is a complete fraud. If he had half of the resume he claims they would all be all over him. But, they know him and all said the same thing..he’s a fabrication of his own mind. It’s one thing to beef up your resume, but what he did was completely lie and hope nobody has the connections to catch him at it.. Well, no such luck, Glynn my boy.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:25 am
By the way…Simon Singleton…is Glynn Wilson. Wilson is one of the most narcissistic, borderline sociopaths many of us have ever seen. He has a superiority complex and thinks everyone who dares question him in an idiot and beneath him.
The man has a huge problem and probably needs some kind of psychiatric help. But, he is a fascinating figure to watch, much like an animal in a cage.
November 6th, 2008 at 6:44 am
I thought I would be the bigger person (it’s not hard with Glynn) and I commented on a picture he took and posted on his blog. I told him I thought it was a beautiful picture (which I do). He deleted my comment.
I left another comment: “You really are petty if you delete compliments from people you disagree with politically.”
He then sent me three consecutive emails:
1) It’s not THAT we disagree, it’s that you are not even mildly an interesting asshole.
Call it what you want. You are banned from commenting on my site.
2) And I’ve published many comments from people who disagree with me politically. Saying otherwise is demonstrably false.
3) And you have now been reported as a spammer to the investigators putting spammers everywhere in jail…
—
That last one is funny as hell.