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Wootton started his career as a journalist in his native New Zealand, writing an entertainment column for the Wellington-based broadsheet newspaper ''[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|The Dominion Post]]'' and was also a reporter for the daily television show ''[[Good Morning (New Zealand TV programme)|Good Morning]]''.<ref name=NOW1 /> He immigrated to the United Kingdom when he was 21, and after a period working for trade magazines, he found a job with ''[[Broadcast (magazine)|Broadcast]]'' magazine.<ref name=NZNEWSUK />
Wootton started his career as a journalist in his native New Zealand, writing an entertainment column for the Wellington-based broadsheet newspaper ''[[The Dominion Post (Wellington)|The Dominion Post]]'' and was also a reporter for the daily television show ''[[Good Morning (New Zealand TV programme)|Good Morning]]''.<ref name=NOW1 /> He immigrated to the United Kingdom when he was 21, and after a period working for trade magazines, he found a job with ''[[Broadcast (magazine)|Broadcast]]'' magazine.<ref name=NZNEWSUK />


Wootton joined the ''[[News of the World]]'' TV team in February 2007,<ref name=NoW2 /> becoming TV editor in November 2007,<ref name=NoW3/> and show-business editor in November 2008 until its closure in July 2011,<ref name=NOW1 /><ref name=NoW5 /> when he then became a columnist and feature writer for the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' and editor-at-large for ''[[Now (1996–2019 magazine)|Now]]'' magazine.<ref name=DMail1 /><ref name=NOW6 /> He later testified to the [[Leveson Inquiry]] in 2012 about the [[News International phone hacking scandal]], where he denied illegally publishing stories collected through phone hacking while editor at the ''News of the World.''<ref>{{Cite news|title=Leveson Inquiry: NOTW editor 'never used phone hacking'|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-16910105|date=6 February 2012|access-date=1 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=25 July 2011|title=News of the World's Kiwi showbiz editor speaks out|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/5254072/News-of-the-Worlds-Kiwi-showbiz-editor-speaks-out|access-date=1 November 2020|website=Stuff}}</ref>
Wootton joined the ''[[News of the World]]'' TV team in February 2007,<ref name=NoW2 /> becoming TV editor in November 2007,<ref name=NoW3/> and show-business editor in November 2008 until its closure in July 2011,<ref name=NOW1 /><ref name=NoW5 /> when he then became a columnist and feature writer for the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' and editor-at-large for ''[[Now (1996–2019 magazine)|Now]]'' magazine.<ref name=DMail1 /><ref name=NOW6 /> He later testified to the [[Leveson Inquiry]] in 2012 about the [[News International phone hacking scandal]], where he denied illegally publishing stories collected through phone hacking while an editor at the ''News of the World.''<ref>{{Cite news|title=Leveson Inquiry: NOTW editor 'never used phone hacking'|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-16910105|date=6 February 2012|access-date=1 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=25 July 2011|title=News of the World's Kiwi showbiz editor speaks out|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/5254072/News-of-the-Worlds-Kiwi-showbiz-editor-speaks-out|access-date=1 November 2020|website=Stuff}}</ref>


In 2013, Wootton joined ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'' newspaper launching a new column on Sundays.<ref name="Sun1" /> He became editor of the newspaper's Bizarre column in 2014,<ref name="Sun2" /> and was promoted to associate editor (showbiz and TV) in 2016.<ref name="Sun3" /> He was named 'Showbiz reporter of the year' at the 2010, 2013 and 2018 [[British Press Awards]].<ref name="PGazzette1" /><ref name="PGazette2" /> Wootton also made appearances as a showbiz reporter on ITV's morning show ''[[Lorraine (TV programme)|Lorraine]]'' between 2011 and 2019, and has been a guest on [[BBC Radio 5 Live]].<ref name=DMail1 />
In 2013, Wootton joined ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'' newspaper launching a new column on Sundays.<ref name="Sun1" /> He became editor of the newspaper's Bizarre column in 2014,<ref name="Sun2" /> and was promoted to associate editor (showbiz and TV) in 2016.<ref name="Sun3" /> He was named 'Showbiz reporter of the year' at the 2010, 2013 and 2018 [[British Press Awards]].<ref name="PGazzette1" /><ref name="PGazette2" /> Wootton also made appearances as a showbiz reporter on ITV's morning show ''[[Lorraine (TV programme)|Lorraine]]'' between 2011 and 2019, and has been a guest on [[BBC Radio 5 Live]].<ref name=DMail1 />

Revision as of 06:18, 5 August 2023

Dan Wootton
Born
Daniel John William Wootton

(1983-03-02) 2 March 1983 (age 41)
Wellington, New Zealand
Citizenship
  • New Zealand
  • United Kingdom
Alma materVictoria University of Wellington
Occupation(s)Journalist, broadcaster
TelevisionDaybreak (2011–2012)
Lorraine (2011–2019)
Big Brother's Bit on the Side (2015–2018)
GB News (2021–)

Daniel John William Wootton (born 2 March 1983)[1] is a New Zealand and British journalist and broadcaster. He currently presents a show on GB News.

In 2007, he joined the News of the World. In 2013, he joined The Sun on Sunday and became editor of the Bizarre column the following year. In February 2016, he joined The Sun, under the editorship of Victoria Newton, as associate editor and in March 2018 progressed to executive editor.[2]

Wootton has made appearances as a show business presenter on the ITV Breakfast shows Lorraine and Daybreak. From 2015 to 2018, he was also a regular contributor and panelist on Big Brother's Bit on the Side. In 2021 Wootton left News UK to join the MailOnline as a columnist and present a show, four days a week, on GB News.[3]

In July 2023, allegations were published in Byline Times of inappropriate and criminal conduct against Wootton, including catfishing former colleagues, overseeing a culture of sexual harassment while working at The Sun and orchestrating non-consensual voyeurism of victims using male pornographic actors paid with misappropriated funds.[4] Wootton said all criminal allegations were "untrue" and that he is the victim of a "smear campaign".[5] The MailOnline confirmed in early August it had paused Wootton's freelance column with the website pending its own investigation.[6][7]

Early life

Daniel John William Wootton was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1983 to British parents; his mother was born in Basildon, Essex and his father was born on a British army base in Malta.[8][9] Wootton grew up in Lower Hutt, a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand and attended Naenae College and Victoria University of Wellington, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in media studies and political science.[10][11][12]

Career

Wootton started his career as a journalist in his native New Zealand, writing an entertainment column for the Wellington-based broadsheet newspaper The Dominion Post and was also a reporter for the daily television show Good Morning.[13] He immigrated to the United Kingdom when he was 21, and after a period working for trade magazines, he found a job with Broadcast magazine.[14]

Wootton joined the News of the World TV team in February 2007,[15] becoming TV editor in November 2007,[16] and show-business editor in November 2008 until its closure in July 2011,[13][17] when he then became a columnist and feature writer for the Daily Mail and editor-at-large for Now magazine.[18][19] He later testified to the Leveson Inquiry in 2012 about the News International phone hacking scandal, where he denied illegally publishing stories collected through phone hacking while an editor at the News of the World.[20][21]

In 2013, Wootton joined The Sun newspaper launching a new column on Sundays.[22] He became editor of the newspaper's Bizarre column in 2014,[23] and was promoted to associate editor (showbiz and TV) in 2016.[24] He was named 'Showbiz reporter of the year' at the 2010, 2013 and 2018 British Press Awards.[25][26] Wootton also made appearances as a showbiz reporter on ITV's morning show Lorraine between 2011 and 2019, and has been a guest on BBC Radio 5 Live.[18]

In 2015, Wootton and The Sun received widespread criticism for an article he penned for the newspaper titled "Hollywood HIV Panic". HIV policy adviser Lisa Power called it "vile" and expressed disappointment that Wootton had "lent his name to such a shameful piece", saying that it reinforced stigma against people with HIV.[27] British HIV charity the Terrence Higgins Trust called it "irresponsible",[28] and The BMJ, a peer-reviewed medical trade journal, also criticised the article.[29]

Wootton hosted a weekly talkRADIO show called Dan's Dilemmas from March 2018 and, in February 2020, he took over as host of the station's drivetime show, replacing Eamonn Holmes.[30][31][32]

Wootton has been credited with breaking the story about Megxit in The Sun on 8 January 2020, which prompted Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to announce within hours, confirming their plans for stepping back from their royal duties.[33] Wootton stated that he had been in contact with the couple's spokesperson on 28 December and gave them a ten days' notice before the story broke out, despite facing pressure from royal officials not to run the piece.[33] Sources close to the couple later spoke to The New York Times, stating that they "felt forced to disclose their plans prematurely" as they learned about The Sun's intentions to publish the story.[33] Wootton disputed the claim as "They released the statement after we had published the story and had so much notice."[33]

In June 2020, it was reported that Harry's lawyers had issued a 'letter before action', threatening to sue Dan Wootton and The Sun, based on allegations that they had paid money to associates of palace officials to secure their stories.[34] Wootton's lawyers denied that any payments were made unlawfully to a public official or a proxy and described the claims as "a smear campaign by unknown bad actors."[34] Prince Harry later said that he believed Wootton was able to publish the story due to "the strength of his secret relationship with one particularly close friend of Willy's comms secretary – who fed him trivial (and mostly fake) gossip."[35]

In July 2020, libel proceedings, brought by Johnny Depp against Wootton and News Group Newspapers, began in the High Court of Justice in the case of Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd. The action related to an article published in 2018 in The Sun describing Depp as a "wife beater".[36][37] On 2 November 2020, the court ruled in favour of News Group. Mr Justice Nicol found that assaults were proven to the civil standard in 12 of the 14 incidents reported by Amber Heard,[38] and he concluded that The Sun's article was substantially accurate on the balance of probabilities.[39]

In October 2020, Labour MP Chris Bryant criticised Wootton for being "a dangerous conspiracy theorist" after Wootton advocated for the Great Barrington Declaration and suggested that herd immunity could be a solution for COVID-19.[40]

In January 2021, Wootton announced that he would leave The Sun and talkRADIO to become a columnist for MailOnline and present a daily show, four days a week, on GB News.[3] In November 2021, his GB News programme, Tonight Live with Dan Wootton, was rebranded to Dan Wootton Tonight and shortened to two hours.[41]

Allegations of inappropriate and criminal conduct

In February 2022, Andrew Brady, a former Apprentice contestant and ex-fiancé of Caroline Flack, was jailed for four months for harassing Wootton and making false accusations of sexual offences against him.[42]

In July 2023, Byline Times accused Wooton of using fake online identities to trick men, including co-workers at his then-employer The Sun, into sending sexual images.[43] Wootton said all criminal allegations were "untrue" and said he is the victim of a "smear campaign",[5] and that he was the victim of an abusive relationship in the past.[44]

A further story by Byline Times claimed that Wootton oversaw a culture of sexual harassment at The Sun and the subject of at least six bullying claims by colleagues, all of which resulted in large pay-offs and confidentiality agreements.[45] In response, Wootton said: "A hard left blog is on a deranged campaign of harassment designed to destroy me financially, mentally and professionally." He sought crowdfunding, with a target of £150,000, to fight a legal campaign against the allegations.[46]

A further article by Byline Times alleged that Wootton instructed male pornographic actors to use equipment to secretly film themselves having sex with men he had spoken to on Facebook.[4] The article further alleged Wootton paid the pornographic actors by misappropriating funds for sources from News UK.[4]

The Metropolitan Police said in July: "Officers are assessing information to establish whether any criminal offence has taken place. There is no police investigation at this time."[47] The allegations resulted in an investigation by an external law firm hired by News UK, whilst the MailOnline confirmed it had paused Wootton's freelance column with the website.[48][7]

Personal life

Wootton holds both New Zealand and British citizenship.[8]

In 2013, Wootton announced on his Twitter account that he is gay.[49] He has said that his favourite film is Grease and his favourite band is ABBA.[50]

At an event to celebrate his 40th birthday in March 2023, Wootton paid tribute to his partner Alan Longair, describing him as "the love of my life".[51]

References

  1. ^ Wootton, Dan [@danwootton] (2 March 2023). "Best possible end to my 40th birthday! Thank you..." (Tweet). Retrieved 27 July 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (14 March 2018). "The Sun promotes former head of showbiz Dan Wootton to executive editor". Press Gazette. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b Rajan, Amol (28 January 2021). "Dan Wootton leaves News UK for GB News and Mail Online". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Evans, Dan; Latchem, Tom (26 July 2023). "Dan Wootton Paid Porn Stars with Sun's Depp Money for Covert Catfish Sex Videos". Byline Times. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b Rusbridger, Alan (22 July 2023). "'Sex scandals' and the strange case of the Not Very Famous TV star". The Independent. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  6. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (3 August 2023). "Mail Online says Dan Wootton column on pause while allegations investigated". Press Gazette. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Dan Wootton MailOnline column paused amid investigation, publisher confirms". BBC News. 3 August 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Bio Dan Wootton". GBNews. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Who is Dan Wootton? The Kiwi at the centre of the Johnny Depp libel case". NZ Herald. 7 July 2020.
  10. ^ Manson, Bess (29 January 2011). "Dan Wootton". New Zealand Listener. Retrieved 22 March 2016. Raised in Avalon in Lower Hutt and educated at Naenae College and Victoria University...
  11. ^ "Inspiring Kiwi". Television New Zealand. 2010. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010.
  12. ^ "Roll of graduates". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  13. ^ a b Gallagher, Rachael (7 November 2008). "Dan Wootton starts as NoW showbiz columnist". Press Gazette.
  14. ^ Everett, Charlotte (11 August 2013). "How NZer Dan Wootton became a UK household name". NZNEWSUK. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  15. ^ Brook, Stephen (30 January 2007). "Hamilton jumps showbiz ship". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2016. And Broadcast reporter Dan Wootton is to join Rachel Richardson's TV team at the News of the World.
  16. ^ Brook, Stephen (23 November 2007). "Dickinson becomes NoW US editor". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2016. The News of the World also said today it had promoted Dan Wootton, who joined the News of the World in February, to be TV editor.
  17. ^ "NoW showbiz editor Dan Wootton: Nobody expected this". BBC News. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  18. ^ a b Sweney, Mark (31 October 2011). "Dan Wootton to join Daily Mail". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  19. ^ Burrell, Ian (19 December 2011). "News of the World outcasts still appear to have their friends in prime places". The Independent.
  20. ^ "Leveson Inquiry: NOTW editor 'never used phone hacking'". BBC News. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  21. ^ "News of the World's Kiwi showbiz editor speaks out". Stuff. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  22. ^ Halliday, Josh (5 July 2013). "Dan Wootton to join the Sun on Sunday". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  23. ^ Conlan, Tara (3 July 2014). "Sun appoints showbiz columnist Dan Wootton to edit revamped Bizarre". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  24. ^ Greenslade, Roy (8 March 2016). "Gordon Smart leaves Scotland to be the Sun's deputy editor". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2016. Dan Wootton has been promoted to associate editor (showbiz and TV) and will be responsible for running the Bizarre column plus a new section called Bizarre TV.
  25. ^ "British Press Awards 2010: Full list of winners". Press Gazette. 24 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  26. ^ "The Guardian crowned newspaper of the year at Press Awards – full list of winners". Press Gazette. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  27. ^ "Reporting on HIV like it's the 1980s will only help the virus spread". The Independent. 11 November 2015.
  28. ^ "The Sun claims Hollywood is 'panicking' about an actor having HIV". The Independent. 11 November 2015.
  29. ^ Kirkham, Deborah (13 November 2015). "Sun shows how not to report a case of HIV". The BMJ. 351: h6147. doi:10.1136/bmj.h6147. PMID 26567134. S2CID 41635715.
  30. ^ Forster, Lucy (19 March 2018). "Showbiz reporter Dan Wootton joins talkRADIO". Digital Radio UK.
  31. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (27 January 2020). "Sun's Dan Wootton takes over Talkradio drivetime slot from Eamonn Holmes". Press Gazette. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  32. ^ "Eamonn Holmes replaced by Dan Wootton on talkRADIO". RadioToday. 24 January 2020.
  33. ^ a b c d Mayhew, Freddy (30 September 2022). "Harry and Meghan are 'professional victims' says Sun journalist who broke royal split story". Press Gazette. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  34. ^ a b Evans, Dan (5 June 2020). "ROYAL EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry's legal move over 'cash-for-briefings' claims at The Sun – The story Murdoch tried to bury". Byline Investigates. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  35. ^ Moore, Sam (10 January 2023). "Prince Harry calls GB News presenter Dan Wootton a 'sad little man'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  36. ^ "Johnny Depp's libel case against The Sun begins". BBC News. 7 July 2020.
  37. ^ "Johnny Depp's reputation on line as libel trial set to begin". The Guardian. 7 July 2020.
  38. ^ Davies, Caroline; Bowcott, Owen (2 November 2020). "Johnny Depp trial: how the judge ruled on 14 alleged assaults". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  39. ^ Bowcott, Owen; Davies, Caroline (2 November 2020). "Johnny Depp loses libel case against Sun over claims he beat ex-wife Amber Heard". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  40. ^ Forrest, Adam (20 October 2020). "Labour MP calls Dan Wootton 'dangerous nutcase' over herd immunity comments". The Independent.
  41. ^ Wootton, Dan [@danwootton] (8 November 2021). "At 9pm we are relaunching my show as Dan Wootton Tonight. It's now two hours of the feistiest and most fun news debate on TV where free speech reigns always. Your favourite regulars and superstar panellists will be back but we're going to do it all before 11pm Monday to Thursday" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 November 2021 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ Higgens, Dave (4 February 2022). "Caroline Flack's ex-fiance jailed for harassing GB News presenter Dan Wootton". The Independent. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  43. ^ Evans, Dan; Latchem, Tom (17 July 2023). "GB News Star Dan Wootton Unmasked in Cash-for-Sexual Images Catfishing Scandal". Byline Times. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  44. ^ Minelle, Bethany (18 July 2023). "Dan Wootton: GB News presenter hits out at 'untrue' allegations and claims he is the victim of a 'smear campaign'". Sky News. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  45. ^ Evans, Dan; Latchem, Tom (20 July 2023). "Dan Wootton was a 'Serial Bully' at the Sun – But Bosses Promoted Him as Complaints were Silenced". Byline Times. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  46. ^ Frost, Caroline (22 July 2023). "UK Presenter Seeks Crowdfunding Cash To Fight Allegations Of "Bribery For Explicit Images"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  47. ^ Slow, Oliver; Hancock, Sam (19 July 2023). "Dan Wootton: GB News host admits 'errors of judgement'". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  48. ^ Waterson, Jim (3 August 2023). "MailOnline suspends Dan Wootton as allegations investigated". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  49. ^ Wootton, Dan [@danwootton] (4 December 2013). "I'm gay and I believe in equality in every way. If the media hides gay relationships then how will they ever be normalised?" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 December 2013 – via Twitter.
  50. ^ Hilton, Nick (19 July 2023). "Who is Dan Wootton? GB News star who denies claims he offered thousands for sex images". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  51. ^ Franklin, Beth (28 July 2023). "Dan Wootton calls partner 'love of his life' on GB News show - Who is he and are they married?". Edinburgh News. Retrieved 31 July 2023.

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