The Shadowy World of London's Pink Slime Media Machine
On a dreary winter afternoon in Harlow, a nondescript residential tower block at Spinning Wheel Mead estate appears an unlikely headquarters for a media organization with alleged connections to the English far right and Russian propaganda networks. The journey from Harlow town center reveals hundreds of St George's flags hanging limply from lamp posts, setting an ominous tone for an investigation into one of Britain's most mysterious media operations.
The London Post: A Dizzying Array of Content
Scrolling through The London Post website presents a bewildering mix of content. Among mundane local stories about new Tesco openings and planning applications approved by Lambeth Council, more sinister material emerges. The site promotes unregulated gambling websites like CoinPoker, a "decentralised crypto casino" with overwhelmingly negative reviews, and features articles entitled "Best Ukrainian Brides" presented in the same format as legitimate news.
Even more concerning are political hit-pieces targeting Uzbek businessmen accused of "dark diplomacy," detailed reports on Moscow land disputes, and takedowns of Russian dissident property tycoon Ilya Surkov complete with photographs of his passports. Amid this ocean of questionable content, The London Post appears to be running what media analysts call a "pink slime" operation.
Understanding Pink Slime Journalism
The term "pink slime" originated in 2002 to describe nutritionally worthless meat byproducts, but a decade later became a sobriquet for a new type of journalism. In the United States, defunct local news websites were bought, cloned, or mimicked for disinformation purposes, often with right-leaning political agendas and international backing. A NewsGuard report suggests there are now more pink slime outlets operating in America than legitimate local news websites.
Dr Steven Buckley, a lecturer in digital media at City University, explains the evolution: "Back when Facebook pushed people towards news stories and clicks generated revenue, it was an easy way to get money from advertisers. But now advertising money has retracted... the purpose of these websites has become far more propagandistic."
The 2Trom Media Network
The London Post is operated by 2Trom Media Group, incorporated in 2018. This network includes Essex TV, Essex Magazine, Leicester TV, London TV, Manchester TV, Midlands TV, and The Daily Brit, along with now-defunct publications like Sussex Chronicle and Northern Recorder. A search for "Kazakhstan" on The Daily Brit reveals eight hits about obscure geopolitics, including a story about businessman Mukhtar Ablyazov's legal feud with Kazakhstan's BTA Bank.
According to its website, 2Trom is "primarily owned by Viktor Tokarev, Moscow Media Group (MMG) & BE Group." Byline Times investigations revealed MMG is owned by Igor Kuzin, a man with Kremlin links and connections to Russian state-owned companies. The investigations website alleges cryptocurrency payments from a Russian agent linked to campaigns featured on 2Trom outlets.
The Elusive Figures Behind the Operation
The founding shareholders are Russian national Viktor Tokarev and British citizen Lewis Drazen, with Zimbabwe-born Mathetes Chihwai later brought in as a director. Chihwai rebranded himself Matthew Martino in the early 2010s, claiming his birth name was too difficult to pronounce. He self-published books on recreational flight and entrepreneurship while cultivating a celebrity persona through dubious fan pages and social media presence.
Martino's career took strange turns when he announced Tommy Robinson (Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) as goodwill ambassador for his Matthew Martino Benevolent Fund. This partnership between a Zimbabwean migrant and one of Britain's fiercest anti-immigration campaigners raised eyebrows, especially when it emerged the fund wasn't registered with the charity commission and had minimal assets.
A Trail of Deception and Disappearance
Today, Martino presents himself as a jet-setting influencer with social media full of private jet travel, designer clothing, and champagne-spraying videos. His Instagram bio links to PR giant FleishmanHillard, though the company denies any connection. Attempts to contact 2Trom personnel reveal most have "dropped off the face of the earth," according to one anonymous former senior figure who spoke about the operation.
This source revealed that while MMG remains a shareholder, BE Group has more "creative control," and 2Trom has restructured using shell companies for each brand to obscure ownership. "The new company it operates under is a big secret," they said. "The owners want to keep the structure in the shadows."
The Harlow Connection
The choice of Harlow as a base is significant. Once a post-war "new town" with utopian ideals, Harlow experienced decades of decline with rising crime and under-investment. The local media landscape mirrored this decline, with three local newspapers closing between 2005 and 2019. "Nature abhors a vacuum," observes the investigation, suggesting 2Trom filled cracks left by legitimate media outlets.
Michael Casey, editor of legitimate local news site Your Harlow, represents the opposite approach to journalism. A boots-on-the-ground reporter who publishes around 10 stories daily, Casey expresses concern about local journalism's future while dismissing Martino's operation. "When you've published 44,000 stories over 12 years, you wonder what the real story is," he says of Martino's social media persona.
Legal Challenges and Final Revelations
Photographer Richard Southall took 2Trom to court after they stole his image of the Hippodrome Casino, winning a default judgment when defendants failed to appear. Southall noted a spike in companies stealing content to appear legitimate and expressed caution after discovering 2Trom's links to "very shady" and "deeply unpleasant" people.
After weeks of investigation, Martino finally responded via email, claiming to be "out of the media game" and "no more UK based." He directed attention to his Instagram account showing a "round the world trip" while declining further comment. The investigation concludes without dramatic revelations but reveals a vast, unknowable machine of dark PR operations.
While legitimate journalists like Michael Casey perform the unglamorous work of local reporting, figures like Martino continue their jet-set lifestyles, creating avatars and alter egos in pursuit of wealth and status. The pink slime operation continues, hidden behind layers of corporate structures and international connections, representing a growing threat to genuine local journalism and democratic discourse.
