Thread by @TrickFreee

Notorious Pro-Trump Misinformation Site True Pundit Is Run By An Ex-Journalist With A Grudge Against The FBI

How former-award-winning journalist Michael D Moore came to run a site filled with false reports and conspiracies. buzzfeednews.com/article/craigs…

Well, I tried. lol. Nice job, @CraigSilverman.

"Moore won a Loeb Award in 1996 while working for the Record, a New Jersey newspaper. He also authored at least some coverage of TWA Flight 800"

"Moore also has a connection to the FBI that could explain True Pundit's fixation with the agency: he was arrested by federal agents in November 2011 for running two websites that sold pirated hockey DVDs and downloads."

"The seven-count indictment alleges that Michael Moore, 44, of Chadds Ford, Penn., infringed the copyright protected works during seven six-month periods between May 2006 and June 2010."
archives.fbi.gov/archives/phila…

"Moore admitted that he copied and sold, over the internet, copyrighted recordings of hockey games, parts of hockey games, and other hockey-related material between May 15, 2006 and November 10, 2006. He also admitted to copyright infringement."
justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/c…

Moore was indicted by a federal grand jury pennrecord.com/stories/510551…

"These bastards [the FBI] were going to pay for violating my family. My kids. My home. One way or the other, I would have the last word. As I have throughout my life and career. And I was going to have to go back into journalism to even the score."

https://twitter.com/Thomas1774Paine/status/1034149449369448448?s=19

Moore resigned from The Record "after he was cleared in an internal inquiry that examined whether he used his newspaper affiliation to benefit a side business." Moore also blamed The Record's management for lack of support and New Jersey state politicians. editorandpublisher.com/news/on-the-re…

In addition to his job at the Record, Moore was the owner of "Dig Dirt," a company his brother apparently helped to run. Dig Dirt billed itself as an “information broker,” allowing customers to "buy personal information about people." In other words, they dug up dirt on people.

"Jennifer Borg, vice president of Human Resources at the Record, contends the inquiry was properly conducted by [Editor Glenn] Ritt and managing editor Vivian Waixel, with the “input and advice” of Moore’s two immediate supervisors."

"Record management launched an internal inquiry into whether the reporter had used sanctioned DMV searches to benefit Dig Dirt." "Ritt said the reporter’s ownership of Dig Dirt “very clearly created the appearance and potential for a conflict of interest"

"Moore "was ordered to pay $25,000 in damages for squatting on six domains that contained names of law firms. Delaware corporate records indicate that Dig Dirt still owes $525 in back taxes dating from 2003, and that the company has not filed an annual report since 2000."

In fact, Moore's demands against the law firms look a lot like attempted extortion.
wired.com/1999/11/strang…