If I were part of a Raynor Winn / Walker's fightback team on social media, I wouldn’t waste time on MN it’s too detailed, too forensic, and too well policed. Instead, I’d focus on a few simple talking points that cast doubt on the story and lean into the idea of trial by media - what can you even believe these days? They haven’t killed anyone, after all. That kind of line.
Most people aren’t buried in the threads arguing over every detail. I’d do exactly what they’re doing now: lie low and say nothing and have top defensive lines - off the top of my head could be.
“It’s a memoir, not a court transcript.”
Personal stories are always subjective. The Salt Path was never billed as investigative journalism it's one person's emotional truth, told through memory and reflection.
“Everyone’s got a version. This is hers.”
Just because others remember things differently doesn’t mean the author is lying. Disputes over memory happen in every family, especially after trauma.
“The press loves a takedown.”
The media builds people up and tears them down. The timing and tone of these stories say more about media cycles than the truth of the book itself.
“Why now?”
Years after the book’s success, suddenly there’s a backlash? Feels like resentment or opportunism. If these concerns were so serious, why wait until now?
As William Rees-Mogg famously said about the Rolling Stones drug busts in the 60s “Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?”
But most of all I wouldn't argue that here !!