Thread 9: To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[DisappointedReader]

The Observer The real Salt Path: how a blockbuster book and film were ...

2nd Observer https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-salt-path-whats-in-the-book-and-what-the-observer-has-found

3rd Observer https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-salt-path-the-truth-behind-the-blockbuster-book-video

4th Observer ‘I felt I was being gaslit’ – the landlord who helped Ray...

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Thread 8 www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5375023-thread-8-to-feel-disappointed-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?

Raynor Winn/Sally Walker's statement Raynor Winn

New posters welcome. It would be helpful to read at least the four Observer items above before posting.

To all - Please be extremely cautious when it comes to naming or implicating people and addresses not in the public eye or with no direct connection to the story, and around the understandable health speculations, especially where details are unclear or still emerging. Please do not engage with visitors who seem to have their own agenda and seek to derail. Avoid @'ing and quoting them as this will only encourage them back to the threads.

We have done amazingly well together - in the main that is, not mentioning any names but you know who you are! - for eight threads so far. I can't be on the threads as much as I'd like so all help with keeping our discussion ticking along in a healthy and civil fashion is very welcome.

No saltiness. Keep to the path. Thank you.

It is interesting to me that 'the real Salt Path' is still leading at the top of the News page on The Observer website. Four items, full page width. It isn't going away:
News | The Observer

So assuming Chloe H told them the extent of what she knew (embezzling and whatnot) then SalRay had 4 months to come up with a strong rebuttal or make up another story but didn't.

I wonder if they tried to go down the NDA route instead and then just put out that vague statement about misleading articles instead.

Well either that or the woman is one hell of an ostrich (head in sand, hope it all goes away). The Ostrich and The Moth, there's a fable in there somewhere.

And with parliament about to go on summer break the newspapers are going to have a lot of space to fill in the next few weeks...

from thread 8, page 40.

Let’s consider the many potential reasons why there’s no story today:

1. There’s nothing to report
2. The editor pulled the story because it was flimsy / badly written / libellous
3. The editor pulled the story to make space for other news
4. The Observer has been advised by RW’s legal rep that real mental harm has been done and that continuing with the story could result in a mental health breakdown or suicide
5. Getting hold of a story is taking time and hence publication is delayed.

Point 4 is unlikely based on the journalist’s encouragement for interested parties to read the paper on Sunday.

Re: point 3 (making way for other news) this is unlikely. The paper is on a roll and breaking the news cycle in this way doesn’t make sense.

“FurryHappyKittens · Today 10:54

3 or 5 seem plausible.
The Afghanistan story has taken up a lot of pages.
Chloe H originally said she thought there was more to come but it wouldn't be immediate. So that it's taking more time feels reasonable.
2 is someone's wishful thinking.”

As I said earlier, we all selectively interpret to fit the “facts” of our narrative.

The alleged embezzlement is distasteful but I don't believe she was contractually obliged to reveal this...the home was lost because a loan was called in. She did not have to reveal the reason for the loan. However, there is a world of difference between a definitive 'terminal' diagnosis stated as fact and a nebulous very mild indolent disease which does not present as typical. I do think this part was disingenuous and without it the hook would have been very thin.

And here are the 10 recent items from The Observer on TSP, in case anyone has missed them or wants to revisit. I didn't have time to link to them all in the OP last night:
The real Salt Path | The Observer

“The views of medical consultants have largely been accepted as fact on this thread. Yet this one - which specifies that the Walker-Winns have been careful not to claim that what works for them will work for others - is framed as irrelevant. This is inconsistent and selective.”

This is just my opinion, but I think it is the consultant letters - rather than people’s views of the letters - that are inconsistent. The tone of the most recent letter, from earlier this year, just seems so different to the previous ones.

And in relation to the point about them being careful not to claim that what works for them will work for others, I actually don’t think they’ve been that careful on this point.

If you publish a book claiming you’ve been cured of, or are able to successfully manage, the symptoms of a terminal condition, and it sells millions of copies, it’s not reasonable that readers with that same condition will think that what worked for you will work for them too.

Granted, perhaps the Walkers didn’t directly say what worked for them will work for others. However, they definitely promoted it indirectly. I think this is what many people in the thread are upset about, and with good reason.

Perhaps you didn’t manage to read the various posts that have been deleted by MN moderators.

Apologies if this has already been posted and discussed (mistakes were made) but I'm curious why the Observer today couldn't have investigated this as a follow up.

Was this WinnWalker's first book, published in 2012?

Sorry, the post above should say ‘it’s not unreasonable that…’

It's framed as irrelevant here because it is. All it tells us is that the Winns have told their Dr. It's their word, and we have ample evidence to doubt their word. But nevertheless, even if we accept their word is true, it tells us nothing relevant. So what if they claim that when "discussing" CBS and the clinical merits of activities that they don't indicate this is applicable to others? It tells us they are sensible to do that, yes. So what?

If my tone seems aggressive, I can only apologise. You've mistaken it for exasperation.

Your deflection is rather Sally-esque.

As is your selective decision making on which questions to answer.

Of course, not that you have any obligation to, but it does weaken the case of your apparent iron-clad confidence in the Walker/Winns.

I'm really interested in your thoughts as I think it's important to consider everything from all angles and your interpretation and thoughts are certainly unique*.

*this post contains zero aggression

Regardless of how this saga ends - what I want to see is the feature film of the action at Penguin Random House, starting from the day the first Observer article landed.

Opening scene: Hampstead, and a senior company employee enjoys a convivial sunday lunch au plein air with fellow members of the metropolitan intelligentsia. Much discussion of awards evenings and upcoming holidays in Provence/Tuscany. The phone rings...

There will be a frantic senior corporate bod, a grizzled senior editor whose advice on what to do is overruled by the hard-edged Head of PR (who may or may not be having an affair with the CEO), prompting early retirement of said editor disillusioned by the craven beast book publishing has become. Marketing brainstorms innovative strategies for future editions and heavily pushes projected profit margins. Legal, who already suffers from imposter syndrome, lies awake worrying in the dead reaches of the night, and deflects questions about the contract with queries about why the book's editor didn't check. The editor starts to drink and their relationship suffers. Lots of stormy meetings and raised voices behind closed doors. Office allegiances fall apart and reform. There is backstabbing, tears, venality. In a minor, but crucial, subplot, the assistant to the assistant to the Editor is vindicated in their having raised concerns over TSP's premise right from the start and is rewarded at the film's end by promotion (or possibly falling in love with Martin from Accounts who was the only one to listen to them).

Fill in your own lead and secondary actors (Sal n' Tim feature only as voices on the phone, if that). I'm available as story consultant should anyone wish to write the screenplay.

The ‘homelessness’ is presented in TSP as someone else’s fault, that she and Moth are the victims of someone betraying them. That’s a massive leap from having taken out a loan with a charge on your house to pay back stolen money and avoid prosecution and very likely a criminal conviction.

RW clearly wanted to play up the victim aspect (same as with the terminal illness) to maximise the triumph over adversity theme. It rather taints the victim role if your readers know you took a loan from a relative because you’d embezzled money.

To ANY readers- simply read the threads and make your own mind up about their content and alleged toxicity.

[ETA] I've stated before how refreshing these threads are regarding their civility and respect. To me they are a far cry from the toxicity often seen on social media platforms.

“The thread is attracting a great deal of outside attention.”

Is it? That is genuinely news to me. I know Marina Hyde mentioned Mumsnet in passing on the ‘Rest is Entertainment’ episode referencing the Salt Path allegations, but she definitely didn’t mention this thread specifically. And this thread hasn’t been mentioned anywhere else, as far as I know.

How are ‘patient’ and ‘courteous’ ‘mumsy statements’, @Humankindness? I’m not even a mum… sorry, all - feel free to boot me off the thread!

Was this WinnWalker's first book, published in 2012?

There is strong reason to believe so, yes.

im also wondering what a ‘mumsie’ statement is..

and also why anyone seems to think they have the authority to advise other people not to post on a thread, which they themself are posting on….!!

I'm curious why anyone would keep coming back and posting on a thread they find so problematic

😍 This is wonderful! Perhaps a glossy limited series on Netflix instead?

”The verbal hammering of an individual and the forensic examination of her life - whatever her crimes - is highly distasteful.”

Yes, I agree it is distasteful to forensically examine the minutiae of someone’s personal life.

I think an exception can be made though for when someone writes a book about their personal life and makes a lot of money from it, and it’s then discovered that quite a few elements they wrote about and claimed to be true are not true.

My friends spaniel rolled in it once!