Madin the Counterfeit Journalist “I am not a reporter.” Kent Madin You can put a cat in a barn but that doesn’t make it a horse. Likewise, despite his claims to the contrary, the law proves that Kent Madin is not a journalist. He is a ruthless cyber vigilante and an internet peeping tom. Pretending to be an accredited journalist is akin to appearing at someone’s door falsely dressed as a police officer or an ambulance attendant. In either case a deliberate deception is enacted so as to lull the victim into a false sense of security, before taking an unfair advantage. Kent Madin’s claim to be a journalist is a brazen fabrication built on a foundation of lies. Cyberstalker or Reporter? In stark contrast to authentic reporters, Kent Madin has polluted the noble name of journalism by using it as a means to camouflage his campaign of cyber sadism. Madin has no journalistic credentials! He claims to have obtained a degree in “Outdoor Education” from an Arizona college that went bankrupt in 1974. Madin’s only participation with journalism occurred when he served as a misleading source of information for Danish newspapers. Yet he has created an extraordinary journalistic charade which serves as a cloak to disguise his activities as an internet marauder. In His Own Words Since 2011 Madin has repeatedly claimed that he is not a cyber stalker but then publishes evidence to the contrary. On December 18, 2014, in the headline on his blog, he described himself as a "cyberstalking sleuth" That blog, entitled “ Stalking Walts: Hunter and Hunted in the Digital Wilderness”, is the journalistic fig leaf where he claims he is " investigating" his victims. https://stalkingwalts.wordpress.com/ On November 24, 2016 Madin announced that he was " returning to journalism." https://www.linkedin.com/in/kent-madin-3a85728 But in an abrupt about face, on April 12, 2017 Madin sent the President of the United States a tweet wherein he contradicted all previous claims and publicly announced, " I am not a reporter ” https://mobile.twitter.com/kmadin Obtaining Evidence by Deceit Madin does not adhere to the ethical guidelines followed by legitimate journalists. He lacks credentials and credibility. But that has not prohibited him from eliciting personal information under false pretences. On his cyber squatting websites, Madin claims that the information he gathers against his victims is based on “ consenting interviews .” Geoff Young is an example of how Madin grooms his victims under false pretences. As the American publisher learned, it is easy to pretend to be a journalist on line. Madin used this trick to obtain information from Young, the unsuspecting publisher of one of America's leading equestrian magazines. A Publisher Protests Geoff Young is not the type of man who tolerates deception. In a stormy letter addressed to Montana legal authorities, Young wrote, “On the morning of December 27, 2013 Kent Madin contacted me by email claiming he was a journalist, and asking for my help in an article he was working on regarding modern day explorers, and specifically asking for information on Basha and CuChullaine O’Reilly, of which I wrote an article about and published in my magazine Horse Connection. As a publisher, I am always willing to help a fellow journalist, and especially willing to help promote the O’Reilly’s and their wonderful organization – The Long Riders’ Guild. I responded to Madin that I would be happy to assist him and would contact the O’Reilly’s at their home in France. Madin then sent me another email saying he had lied about his intentions and thanked me for the information I had provided, that information being where the O’Reilly’s are now living. In that follow up message Madin admitted, “ I apologize for the disingenuous nature of my initial note to you.” I was outraged when he told me that what he had planned would not turn out well for the O’Reillys, and was equally outraged to find out I had been duped and deceived into providing this man with the location of the O’Reillys. I had believed Madin when he told me he was a journalist, and am now appalled to find out that not only is he not a journalist, but has been embarking on a campaign to discredit and harm people’s reputation for his own amusement. Kent Madin obtained information from me under false pretenses to wage his cyber campaign of destruction and defamation. Because he falsely claimed he was a journalist, I will be filing a complaint with Joe Skeel, the Executive Director of the Society of Professional Journalists.” Young called upon Marty Lambert, the Gallatin County Attorney in Montana, to immediately arrest Madin. “I believe that Kent Madin has willfully and repeatedly violated the cyber stalking and cyber harassment laws of Montana and most states in this country. That is why I am writing to you, Attorney Lambert, to request that Kent Madin be charged with cyber stalking and cyber harassment, and ordered to cease and discontinue this destructive and criminal campaign.” (Evidence 18 – Copyright Violation) As Young learned, Madin was not engaged in authentic reporting. He was operating an on-line racket that is fuelled by emotional exploitation. When Young realized he had been tricked via a message of malice, the American publisher expressed his contempt to Madin. “Kent, Let’s be honest here. You lied to me and admitted as such with your second email saying you were being disingenuous in your previous inquiry. You are not an investigative journalist working on an article about explorers as you stated in your email to me. Again, another lie. I won’t pretend to know what goes on in the mind of someone bent on deception, lies, slander and persecution of people he knows nothing about, but I would prefer not to have anything to do with you or your cruel games. Do not contact me again! Geoff” Young summed up his opinion of Madin when he wrote, “He sounds like a man whose failure in life now has him trying to drag other people down into his pathetic world.” Attacking a Reporter It is a bitter irony that Madin is using the internet to harass, threaten and intimidate his victims, including authentic reporters. In May, 2015 the pretend cub reporter harassed a genuine journalist to the point that she felt the need to inform the police. Antonia Paget is a reporter for the Irish Daily Mirror, who wrote an article about an athletic event which involved one of Madin’s victims. Madin harassed the reporter to the point where she was urged to report him to Detective Superintendent Gerard Walsh, who was investigating Madin’s cyber activities in Ireland. A Legal Warning These assaults against the rules of journalism have not gone unnoticed or unchallenged by legal authorities. On May 23, 2014, Captain Steve Crawford of the Bozeman Police Department informed a victim that he had a) interviewed Madin, b) warned Madin not to have any further contact with victims and c) said he “intends to submit a case for prosecution to our prosecutor’s office.” Crawford also revealed his belief that Madin’s activities were not those of a legitimate journalist. Crawford wrote, "I have also told him (Madin) that his text messages have probably taken it to the next level and don't see them as anything that can be defended as under the guise of journalism." On December 3, 2014 Captain Crawford confirmed that he wanted to prosecute Madin on charges of "Stalking MCA 45-5-220, Criminal Defamation MCA 45-8-212, and Violation of Privacy in Communications MCA 45-8-213." No Editor or Publisher Though Madin has spent years fantasizing about being a reporter, he is not required to uphold any standards of journalism. “ Independent Research/Journo ” is his slang for “no editorial control and no publisher.” Madin has no newspaper, magazine or book publisher backing his so-called project! This last point was strongly reinforced when an Australian police detective asked Madin to provide the name of the editor and publication he was writing for. Madin’s response confirmed that he is pursuing a personal delusion which is motivated by vengeance. The “smoking gun” message which proved Madin’s lack of journalistic credentials and supervision was sent by the Australian police on January 6, 2017. POLICEMEDIAUNITMgr@police.vic.gov.au wrote: Hi Kent, Thanks for your email. Please provide details as to where you work and where this would be published before we can make enquiries. Thanks, Leonie Johnson Supervisor Media Unit Victoria Police What was Madin’s answer to two such basic questions regarding his journalistic credentials? Silence! Madin’s Journalistic Achievements? This begs a comparison between an authentic author and a Walter Mitty wanna-be. Madin has repeatedly stated, “ Since 2011 I have been researching the professional claims of several self-described ‘explorers’ in order to write a story about how such explorers leverage the internet to create a commercially viable narrative about themselves.” Ten years later no such article has ever been written or published! The fact that Madin launched his so-called "article” nearly a decade ago highlights several important facts. He lacks the ability to construct an investigatory article; i.e. he can't write. Even if he was to create an article, no exploration or equestrian editors would publish his rants. Thus Madin is left with only one avenue of expression – his four cyber squatting websites which bear the stolen names of his victims and the Long Riders’ Guild. Journalist or Cyber Criminal? This begs the question, is Madin a journalist or a cyber criminal in disguise? As this report demonstrates, Madin’s motivation is not to inform the public but to violate the privacy of his victims. The former is an act of public service. The latter is an act of cyber assisted crime. Nor does freedom of expression mean freedom from legal consequences. Chris Anderson is the Director of the Cyber Investigation Service whose expertise as a police officer has been instrumental in arresting many cyber stalkers. Anderson wrote, “Another misconception that perpetrators rely upon is that they will always be protected under the 1 st Amendment. This is an amendment to the U.S. constitution located in the Bill of Rights which prohibits the abridgment of freedom of speech. Perpetrators of internet attacks interpret this to mean that they can say whatever they want or hide behind terms like “In My Opinion” and that they therefore have fairly free reign over what they post. However, this couldn’t be further than the truth.” http://www.cyberinvestigationservices.com/Winning_The_War_On_Internet_Defamation .pdf Madin has never met any of his victims, nor is there any evidence that he has ever undertaken any exploration or long distance equestrian expedition. He is not associated with the Royal Geographical Society, the Explorers’ Club or the Long Riders’ Guild, yet since 2009 he has undertaken to systematically persecute members of the exploration and equestrian travel world, as well as their family, friends and sponsors. Madin justifies his actions by falsely claiming to be engaged in an “ investigative journalism article .” However there is no evidence that he possesses any journalism experience. Nor has he been granted journalism credentials by any known media organization. On the contrary, editors of the world’s exploration and equestrian media organizations have all expressed the strongest distrust of Madin’s motives and have gone on the record to state that they will neither publish him nor enter into a dialogue with him. It is instead accurate to describe Madin as a private citizen who relentlessly pursues strangers because he is motivated by revenge and addicted to cyber sadism. A Legal Veto Against Madin Even though the evidence presented so far would appear to be conclusive, a legal verdict has removed all doubt. Madin is not lawfully entitled to describe himself as a reporter. In July 2021 an Australian federal court ruled that a self-described citizen journalist is not, in the eyes of the law, an authentic reporter. "Under Commonwealth law, a journalist is defined as someone who is engaged in the profession, complies with recognised codes of practice and regularly publishes in a news medium.” This ruling proves that Madin does not meet any of the legal criteria defining a journalist. There is instead an alarming body of evidence which separates Madin from the authentic reporters who abide by the Code of Ethics enforced by the international Accountable Journalists organization. Years of Deceit Madin has waged a twelve-year campaign designed to inflict the greatest possible emotional and professional harm to his victims. That is not journalism. It’s persecution. He’s not searching for a story. He’s invested years of his life in exploitation. The privilege to write is not a license to “hunt” strangers. Madin has betrayed the journalism he pretends to represent. His actions are besmirched with the strong smell of deceit!