[visordown.com] - Dont talk about the Baron

[Ninjette Newsbot]

THE motorcycling vlogger known as Baron Von Grumble launched a social media campaign against Visordown this week after we reported his real identity had been leaked.

Visordown revealed on Tuesday that BVG had been identified on forums. Although they are in the public domain, we withheld his personal details including his name, and hid his face in a picture. Within hours BVG took to Facebook to address the 15,000 users who ‘like’ his page.

His post included: ‘Well done Visordown - it has pissed me off… I’m not saying you should do something silly like unlike their page, or post "BARON4EVER" in every single Visordown story... That would be childish...'

One of BVG’s followers responded to his post with: ‘I will w*** you off if you like.’

Scores of BVG supporters then posted ‘BARON4EVER’ on Visordown’s Facebook page.

Some said we should not have published the already public information simply because BVG had told us he didn’t want us too.

Before the story appeared, BVG had warned Visordown of a ‘problem coming back your way’.

When no agreement not to publish was forthcoming, he asked the Editor: ‘Are we going to have a nice relationship or is this going to go bad?’

Told Visordown would reveal only that his identity had been leaked, and not his actual identity, he said: ‘If you see it that way and you don’t think there will be a problem coming back your way, you do that.’

We deleted the most offensive posts from his supporters, along with a chuntering tirade from BVG himself, in which he wrongly accused us of being motivated by a desire to undermine his website, rather than by simple human interest.

He had earlier acknowleded in his conversation with the Editor that his identity was a source of ‘intrigue’.

Some of BVG’s supporters accused Visordown of lying, although none was able to pinpoint an untruth in our story. We have a recording of the conversation between BVG and the Editor.

Visordown responded to many of the comments from BVG supporters but eventually removed the story from Facebook to end the barrage. ‘BARON4EVER’ was then posted under a subsequent unrelated story by more than 50 BVG supporters, and once by Visordown.

We also temporarily removed the story from our website in the wake of the storm. It’s back now.

If this one vanishes, you know why.

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