Top News:
Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times:
Fox News cancels Lou Dobbs Tonight on the Fox Business network and is expected to part ways with the pro-Trump host; Dobbs is still under contract for now — Fox News has canceled “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” the program hosted by television's staunchest supporter of Donald Trump and of his assertions …
Discussion:
@rolandsmartin, @urbanachievr, The Wrap, Washington Post, CNN, @brianstelter, @mollyjongfast, Politico, @realcliffholmes, @cnn, Media Matters for America, @brianstelter, @mollyjongfast, @petethorn, @helenkennedy, @alt_localgov, @nprweekend, @redcladloon, @iamjulesward, @senwhitehouse, @sifill_ldf, The Daily Beast, @rolandsmartin, @moopersists, @davekeating, @joshtpm, @dannagal, @madisonsiriusxm, @hunterw, New York Times, Mediaite, @dburghart, @xochitlhinojosa, @harthanson, @chrisdjackson, @timobrien, @adamgoldmannyt, contextisking.com, @sruhle, @jeremymbarr, @rawstory, @eugene_scott, @sacca, @michaeldweiss, @johncardillo, @georgehahn, @katiephang, @drdenagrayson, @glcarlstrom, @helenkennedy, @kurtbardella, @senatorjen, @ynb, Forbes, TheGrio, National Review, Slate, Mother Jones, The Week, The Full Belmonte, @tedlieu, @ztpetrizzo, Newser, NPR, @erikwemple, @erikwemple, @timobrien, @marcosbreton, @film_girl, @richmintz, @toddstarnes, @matchity, @russbengtson, @oliverdarcy, @jamessurowiecki, @ritholtz, @jeffjarvis, @bgrueskin, @bernybelvedere, @authorkimberley, @kitten0409, @aaronblake, @brownandbella, @gregpinelo, @green_footballs, @parkermolloy, @johniadarola, @azi and @yashar
Discussion:
@rolandsmartin: If any reporters do a story on the downfall of @LouDobbs and how a once respected business voice turned into a conspiracy nutcase, you can trace it all back to him getting his syndicated radio show. I told folks at @CNN that was gonna be a bad mix. I saw it in his eyes. 1/
Christian Vanderbrouk / @urbanachievr: Lou Dobbs retweets attacks on Fox News. “Fox is Finished.” “Fox is in a race with itself to the bottom.” https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap: Fox News' Howard Kurtz: Lou Dobbs ‘Sometimes Went Too Far’ in Support of Trump (Video)
Washington Post: Fox News has dropped ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight,’ promoter of Trump's false election fraud claims
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Lou Dobbs, by far the highest-rated host on Fox Business, has just been canned by the network. I can't underscore how rare this is. Ratings are normally a shield. Fox Biz viewership is low overall, but Dobbs was the most popular guy. Yet he's cancelled. https://www.cnn.com/...
Molly Jong-Fast / @mollyjongfast: Fascinating @brianstelter on the demise of Lou Dobbs https://www.cnn.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Eugene Daniels / Politico: POLITICO Playbook: The media does its own Friday news dump
Cliff Holmes / @realcliffholmes: Fox News' hosts became so accustomed to lying that there was no alarm bell that registered for them when speaking on a subject w/ significant $$ consequences for a private company. https://twitter.com/...
@cnn: “Lou Dobbs Tonight” is off the air, effective immediately, a Fox spokesperson confirmed. An interim show will take Dobbs' place at 5 and 7 p.m. Eastern starting Monday. It was a head-scratching change by Fox Business. https://www.cnn.com/...
Media Matters for America: Fox News guest Peter Navarro accuses Biden executive orders of being part of “deep state coup”
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Lou Dobbs was on TV yesterday; he was off today; and he hasn't commented on this news yet. But a Dobbs pal confirmed that he's been “benched” by Fox Business https://www.cnn.com/...
Molly Jong-Fast / @mollyjongfast: Never go full Lou dobbs https://twitter.com/...
Peter Thorn / @petethorn: Because it was always all about the money. Sued for a couple billion, funny how the priorities change https://twitter.com/...
Helen Kennedy / @helenkennedy: When you hear people talk about Lou Dobbs being “the highest rated host on Fox Business” bear in mind: https://twitter.com/...
@alt_localgov: Yeah, and I was once an embryo but it's been a while. I like how they pretend this snuck up on them ... across their entire evening and weekend lineup. https://twitter.com/...
Weekend Edition / @nprweekend: On Fox News, they talk a lot about so- called ‘cancel culture’, when someone is ostracized for a transgression. Well, now it is one of former President Trump's greatest boosters who has gotten cancelled from his Fox Business Network show: https://www.npr.org/...
Jules / @iamjulesward: Well this is satisfying. I'm old enough to remember when @LouDobbs was spouting his garbage on CNN. Then Fox. He'll find a happy home at OAN or Newsmax. He just keeps falling further down the crazy rabbit hole. https://twitter.com/...
Sheldon Whitehouse / @senwhitehouse: The guy can lie with impunity for years, but a lawsuit, and the prospect of having to answer questions under oath, suddenly changes everything. Our failsafe is independent courts. That's why captured courts are such a wrong. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Sherrilyn Ifill / @sifill_ldf: From one day to the next, Fox dropped Lou Dobbs. YouTube removed Steve Bannon. FB & Twitter removed Trump. What this tell us is that these actions could have been taken yrs ago when there was still time to save this country from the worst of the abyss. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Justin Baragona / The Daily Beast: How Fox News Primetime Jacked Up Trump's ‘Big Lie’
@rolandsmartin: No sweat. After @LouDobbs get his money from Suzanne Scott and @FoxNews - he was fired at @CNN and got $8 million to leave - they may require him to do a no-compete, then he'll show up on @OANN or @newsmax. https://twitter.com/...
@moopersists: This is fantastic news! It feels so good to FINALLY see someone put the squeeze on some really bad people —and Smartmatic should win (hopefully). The @TheLastWord is reporting that a $2.7 billion judgment would effectively wipe out a year of Fox profits! #mariabartiromo #LouDobbs https://twitter.com/...
Dave Keating / @davekeating: Lou Dobbs, the man who desperately wanted to be Howard Beale but ended up being just a second-rate Rush Limbaugh. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Josh Marshall / @joshtpm: As the Dominion/Smartmatic litigation moves forward one of the most fascinating veins of reporting will be on the culture of impunity at Fox. With Rudy, Lindell, Powell these are degenerate liars and sociopaths. Evil, crazy people do evil crazy things.
@dannagal: This is a fascinating thread from @rolandsmartin. It is also illustrative of @brianros1's work on the central role of conservative talk radio in radicalizing the larger rw media ecosystem. https://twitter.com/...
Joe Madison / @madisonsiriusxm: Now it's time to cancel Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham. Anybody else? https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Hunter Walker / @hunterw: Lou Dobbs pushed the immigration debate to the fore in 2006 and was a leading driver of birther conspiracies. It wouldn't be a stretch to call him a key shaper of Trump's ideology. https://twitter.com/...
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times: Lou Dobbs's Show Is Canceled by Fox Business
Zachary Petrizzo / Mediaite: Lou Dobbs Retweets Daily Beast Reporter Trolling Him In Donald Trump's Voice
Devin Burghart / @dburghart: In a big blow to the anti-immigrant movement gearing up for a fight over Biden's immigration proposals, their biggest nativist megaphone, Lou Dobbs, has been canceled by Fox Business. https://twitter.com/...
Xochitl Hinojosa / @xochitlhinojosa: Second time's a charm. Started my career in dc working at @mmfa holding Lou Dobbs accountable. He was canceled then. Canceled now. Let's not go there again, folks. https://twitter.com/...
Hart Hanson / @harthanson: Holy moly! Today is one of those days where the world turns slowly toward better. Wow. https://twitter.com/...
Chris D. Jackson / @chrisdjackson: He will be be on Newsmax by March. https://twitter.com/...
Tim O'Brien / @timobrien: Smartmatic cited several examples of Dobbs promoting baseless claims of voter fraud, including an episode in which Trump's attorney, Giuliani, claimed Smartmatic was founded by Venezuelans close to Hugo Chávez “in order to fix elections.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Adam Goldman / @adamgoldmannyt: Dobbs was an early proponent of the “birther” conspiracy theory, which falsely held that President Barack Obama had not been born in the United States and was thus ineligible for the role. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan / contextisking.com: The Paradox of Hollywood's Piracy Roots
Stephanie Ruhle / @sruhle: Where does Lou Dobbs getting LITERALLY CANCELED Fit into the @FoxNews “END CANCEL CULTURE” daily narrative? https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: Lou Dobbs told me over text message (first to @oliverdarcy) that “I have no comment at this time.” But he seems to be sending a message through his retweets... https://twitter.com/...
Raw Story / @rawstory: Lou Dobbs lashes out at Fox after his show is canceled https://www.rawstory.com/...
Eugene Scott / @eugene_scott: Lou Dobbs left CNN in 2009 as hard-line views on immigration became a bigger part of his personality. He was an early proponent of “birtherism” against Barack Obama. And he landed at Fox Business in 2010, where he became must-watch TV for Trump. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Chris Sacca / @sacca: Parents, to save our democracy, please raise your children to be proud and patriotic... <checks notes>... plaintiffs' attorneys? https://twitter.com/...
Michael Weiss / @michaeldweiss: I cannot believe libel lawyers are changing the country for the better. This is like a Darin Morgan episode of The X-Files. https://twitter.com/...
John Cardillo / @johncardillo: Fox News cancels longtime host Lou Dobbs' show @LouDobbs is one of the best anchors in the business. Fox is in a race with itself to the bottom. https://www.latimes.com/...
George Hahn / @georgehahn: Good. Next? https://twitter.com/...
Katie Phang / @katiephang: Fox News cancels longtime host Lou Dobbs' show. “The cancellation comes a day after voting software company Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox News and three of its hosts — Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro.” https://www.latimes.com/...
@drdenagrayson: Good riddance to Lou Dobbs, whose show should have been cancelled long ago. Looks like multi-BILLION dollar lawsuits made Fox News suddenly realize that #sedition isn't good for profits.🙄 #ByeFelicia #GOPSedition #TrumpInsurrection #loudobbs #ByeLou https://twitter.com/...
Gregg Carlstrom / @glcarlstrom: When your lawyers finally make you understand the meaning of the phrase “catastrophic defamation lawsuit” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Yvette Nicole Brown / @ynb: 😂😂😂😂 😂😂 Good. Now do the rest of those clowns. That 2+ billion defamation suit is gonna clean house. https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Solender / Forbes: Canceled Fox Host Lou Dobbs Tweets Report About His ‘False Election Fraud Claims’
Matthew Allen / TheGrio: Fox Business cancels pro-Trump ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight’ amid lawsuit
Zachary Evans / National Review: Fox Business Cancels Lou Dobbs Tonight following Lawsuit
Russ Choma / Mother Jones: Fox News Canceled Lou Dobbs Just One Day After a Voting Machine Company Sued for $2.7 Billion
Tim O'Donnell / The Week: 10 things you need to know today: February 6, 2021
Laura Belmonte / The Full Belmonte: The Full Belmonte, 2/6/21 — President Biden delivers remarks to State Department staff Thursday in Washington.
Ted Lieu / @tedlieu: Fascinating that Lou Dobbs' show was a “loss leader” for Fox Business Network. And he only averaged around 300,000 viewers a night. https://twitter.com/...
Zachary Petrizzo / @ztpetrizzo: Seb Gorka isn't pleased with Lou Dobbs being canceled by Fox News. So Gorka called Fox News tonight, where he once a contributor and produced fake business cards, “cowards” and “cretins.” https://twitter.com/...
Jenn Gidman / Newser: Fox Business Just Dumped Its Highest-Rated Show: Dobbs
David Folkenflik / NPR: Amid Lawsuit From Election Tech Company, Fox News Media Cancels ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight’
Erik Wemple / @erikwemple: First reaction: Good on Fox News for getting rid of a programming liability. Second reaction: Nah, the network took this step after getting hammered in a 285-page complaint that lays bare Dobbs' promotion of the lie that the election was stolen from former President Trump.
Erik Wemple / @erikwemple: In one of the craziest media-news Fridays ever, Lou Dobbs' show on Fox Business has been canceled by the network one day after Smartmatic's lawsuit citing his mendacious coverage of the November election: https://www.cnn.com/...
Tim O'Brien / @timobrien: Fox News' cancellation of Lou Dobbs' show “comes a day after voting software company Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox News and three of its hosts — Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro.” https://www.latimes.com/...
Marcos Breton / @marcosbreton: You know what kills me about Lou Dobbs? When he was with @CNN he was treated as a legitimate journalist when he was promoting overblown narratives about a false immigration peril. He helped create the culture that makes immigration reform impossible https://twitter.com/...
Christina Warren / @film_girl: This is what happens when your lawyers tell you the guy is a liability that could cost you billions. https://twitter.com/...
Rich Mintz / @richmintz: A decade of Dobbs yelling out of the living room for hours a day turned my father from a fairly typical late-middle-aged liberal into a paranoid old man with disturbing economic and political opinions. And that was when he was on CNN! Good riddance to a bad man. https://twitter.com/...
@toddstarnes: It's a first for me - but @brianstelter is absolutely correct. This makes no sense at all — unless a major culture shift is about to happen. https://twitter.com/...
@matchity: “Your show costing the network more money (because of lawsuits) than the ads bring in” is *old-school* cancellation. https://twitter.com/...
Russ Bengtson / @russbengtson: they are getting sued for over a billion dollars for shit he said over and over https://twitter.com/...
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: Reached via text, @LouDobbs tells me he has “no comment at this time.” https://www.cnn.com/...
James Surowiecki / @jamessurowiecki: It was a show on a business network, and it never had anything interesting to say about business. https://twitter.com/...
Barry Ritholtz / @ritholtz: As it turns out, actions have consequences and slander turns out to be expensive. https://www.cnn.com/...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: No honor among thieves and libelers, apparently, when lawyers threaten. We have found Rupert's weak underbelly. https://twitter.com/...
Berny Belvedere / @bernybelvedere: On a network where crazy is normal, Lou Dobbs, who just last year said Trump set a bar “most mortals will never be able to meet,” was terrifyingly nutty. Made Sean Hannity look like Walter Cronkite in comparison. https://twitter.com/...
Kimberley Johnson / @authorkimberley: Last year @LouDobbs tweeted that Americans were going to stand up to COVID...as if we could fight it with might and guns. Thrilled to see this fossil is canceled. :) Buh-bye. https://twitter.com/...
Aaron Blake / @aaronblake: Today I detailed what the 3 Fox hosts sued by Smartmatic said about voting machines. Dobbs def seemed to be the least cautious about claiming things vs. raising suggestive questions. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Bath & Bella Works / @brownandbella: Whoa. These lawsuits doing WORK. https://twitter.com/...
Greg Pinelo / @gregpinelo: Guessing Fox will use the lawsuits to get out of his contract citing cause. Also, if Dobbs is out, how is Tucker Carlson still in? https://twitter.com/...
Charles Johnson / @green_footballs: Fox News cancel culture claims another victim! https://twitter.com/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: But who will scream unhinged conspiracy theories without him around? [taps earpiece] what's that? The other half dozen shows on Fox that do the same thing? https://twitter.com/...
John Iadarola / @johniadarola: It couldn't have happened to a worse person. Well, except for a couple still with shows on Fox. https://twitter.com/...
@azi: “The cancellation comes a day after voting software company Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox News and three of its hosts — Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro.” https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Lawsuits from two election tech companies are now reining in right-wing media misinformation, after years of ad boycotts, public pressure campaigns, and outrage — Defamation cases have made waves across an uneasy right-wing media landscape, from Fox to Newsmax.
Discussion:
CNN, @se4realhinton, @denverpost, @matthewstoller, @dailymail, @kenplume, @jeremymbarr, @anniekarni, @wajahatali, @nycjim, @johnmanly, @gerryconway, @jillwinebanks, @sarbetter, @adamgoldmannyt, @fionasnp, @karnythia, @tonyserrata, @peterelkind, @walterolson, @nycjim, @kannoyoungs, @gerryconway, @vegalteno, @jeremymbarr, @jkfecke, @murray_nyc, @ejeancarroll, @bruceanderson, @halsinger, The Wrap and @foxcahn
Discussion:
Brian Stelter / CNN: Analysis: The end of the road for Lou Dobbs
S. E. Hinton / @se4realhinton: omg! The horror! The horror! https://twitter.com/...
@denverpost: Lawsuits from Smartmatic and Colorado's Dominion Voting have achieved what years of advertising boycotts, public pressure campaigns and liberal outrage could not: curbing the flow of misinformation in right-wing media https://www.denverpost.com/...
Matt Stoller / @matthewstoller: The ‘answer to bad speech is more speech’ has always been kind of stupid. No one says ‘the answer to fraud is more fraud’ even though fraud is at least in part a form of speech. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@dailymail: ‘Fox News is in a race with itself to the bottom’: Lou Dobbs retweets fans attacks after show was canceled https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ ...
Ken Plume / @kenplume: “Well, I only started this channel so we could platform lies. Having to tell the truth would set a dangerous precedent for us.” https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: Talking to Fox employees, there's still a ton of uncertainty about why Lou Dobbs was canceled and what, if anything, will happen next. One said that Fox is a “land of confusion” right now. There was speculation that Jeanine Pirro could be in trouble, but her show aired as normal
Annie Karni / @anniekarni: “Litigation represents a new front in the war against misinformation, a scourge that has reshaped American politics.” Via @grynbaum https://www.nytimes.com/...
Wajahat Ali / @wajahatali: Sue them. Go after the money. Always go after the money and hit them where it hurts. The right wing media swamp is stuck. They have radicalized their base that is addicted to conspiracies and lies. They'll need their daily hit. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jim Roberts / @nycjim: Fox News statement the day before it canceled Lou Dobbs' show: “We are proud of our 2020 election coverage and will vigorously defend this meritless lawsuit in court.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
John Manly / @johnmanly: Clearly Fox's lawyers have explained the legal doctrine of “ratification” to Fox executives. This firing is all about minimizing Fox's liability which could be billions from the defamation lawsuit by Dominion voting systems. https://twitter.com/...
@gerryconway: “Christopher Ruddy, the owner of Newsmax and a Trump confidant, said in an interview on Saturday. ‘You have to fact-check everything public figures say, and you could be held libelous for what they say.’” Yeah. It's called journalism, dipsh*t. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@jillwinebanks: Finally a way to fight Republican, Trump and Fox lies. Defamation lawsuits Take the Lead in Fight Against Disinformation https://www.nytimes.com/...
Susan Arbetter / @sarbetter: “This is the first set of lawsuits that's actually going to force (media outlets like NewsMax) to internalize the cost of the damages they're inflicting on democracy.” Lawsuits Take the Lead in Fight Against Disinformation https://www.nytimes.com/...
Adam Goldman / @adamgoldmannyt: Fox News, which seldom bows to critics, has run fact-checking segments to debunk its own anchors' false claims about electoral fraud. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Fiona Robertson / @fionasnp: I've seen way too many people start calling themselves journalists in the last year just because they repeat things other people tell them. Journalism is a skill with a set of ethics and processes. It's not ‘unquestioningly regurgitating extremists’. https://twitter.com/...
Openly Black Mikki Kendall / @karnythia: It's like they don't even know what journalism is... https://twitter.com/...
Antonio Serrata / @tonyserrata: I can think of a 2.7 billion dollar reason https://twitter.com/...
Peter Elkind / @peterelkind: For vast majority of mainstream media, facts genuinely matter. But as this story shows, for @FoxNews and @newsmax, money matters far more. They spread election lies freely for weeks; it took billion-dollar lawsuits to get their attention. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Walter Olson / @walterolson: Opening a new front against the “scourge” of misinformation: prevailing party in New York Times v. Sullivan discovers the brighter side to defamation litigation https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jim Roberts / @nycjim: Right-wing media doesn't give in easily, but when it comes to facing multi-billion-dollar lawsuits, they cave pretty quickly. https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Zolan Kanno-Youngs / @kannoyoungs: He “was watched by a soon-to-be-very influential fan: Mr. Trump, who shared Mr. Dobbs's right-wing values, particularly the anchor's hard-line stance against unchecked immigration.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@gerryconway: Heh. Heh heh. Hit the ring-wing where it lives: its bank vaults. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Luis A. Miranda, Jr / @vegalteno: Our precious First Amendment should not be giving license to flood the airwaves and the digital space with lies w/out the carrier clarifying that there is a “truth” to explain the issue. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: I think only the Murdochs and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott know why Dobbs was canceled but others mentioned in the Smartmatic lawsuit were not. A good analysis from @brianstelter: https://www.cnn.com/...
Jeff Fecke / @jkfecke: You mean the news...will be responsible...for the news they present? https://twitter.com/...
Murray / @murray_nyc: “In just a few weeks, lawsuits & legal threats from a pair of election technology companies have achieved what years of advertising boycotts, public pressure campaigns & liberal outrage could not: curbing the flow of misinformation in right-wing media.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
E. Jean Carroll / @ejeancarroll: The best way to stop lying scoundrels from destroying democracy turns out to be—weirdly!—DEFAMATION SUITS. Leading the charge are lawyers for Dominion, Smartmatic and my dazzling attorney, @kaplanrobbie https://www.nytimes.com/...
Bruce Anderson / @bruceanderson: “Dobbs's program so packed with falsehoods about Trump's defeat that Fox was forced to run a fact-checking segment debunking its anchor's assertions” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Hal Singer / @halsinger: “This is the first set of lawsuits that's actually going to force [right-wing media] to internalize the cost of the damages they're inflicting on democracy.” — Yochai Benkler, Harvard Law professor https://www.nytimes.com/...
Rosemary Rossi / The Wrap: Lou Dobbs Deletes Tweet With Self-Own About Promoting ‘False Election Fraud Claims’
Albert Fox Cahn / @foxcahn: Growing up, I always feared that libel suits were a threat to democracy, a tool for the powerful litigants to suppress dissent. But given our institutions' failure to rebut disinformation, it increasingly feels like libel suits are all we have left. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Gordon Russell / The Advocate:
Louisiana AG Jeff Landry sues a reporter for The Advocate and The Times-Picayune over a public-records request she filed — Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry on Friday sued a reporter for The Advocate and The Times-Picayune over a public-records request she filed …
Discussion:
@aegallo, @bgrueskin, @drewharwell, @aegallo, @dmihalopoulos, @anitacreamer, @webster, @institute_trust, @jonathanwpeters, Washington Post, @politicsreid, @terryboutonhist, @skylerswisher, @bgrueskin, @davidhammerwwl, @gordonrussell1, @marisa_iati, @mikebalsamo1, @tbridis, @dilloncollier, @brynstole, @davidmcswane, @davidbegnaud, @rebekahallen, @kyle_whitfield, @ericeyre, @davidfolkenflik, Law & Crime, KATC-TV and The Hill
Discussion:
Andrea Gallo / @aegallo: So, it's been raining news today and here is more of it. @JeffLandry has filed a lawsuit against yours truly because I filed a public records request about his top deputy's sexual harassment investigation. He wants to proceedings sealed from the public https://www.theadvocate.com/ ...
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: A @theadvocatebr reporter in Louisiana files a public-records request to learn more about a sexual-harassment case. So how does the attorney general respond? He sues the reporter. Her editor, @PKovacs7: “We're not intimidated. We're more determined.” https://www.theadvocate.com/ ...
Drew Harwell / @drewharwell: Thanks, @JeffLandry, for shining a spotlight on this important story! Can't wait to read and share @aegallo's reporting when these public records are inevitably revealed https://twitter.com/...
Andrea Gallo / @aegallo: Just wanted to thank everyone who has reached out about this! I'm overwhelmed by the support. I worry about reverse FOIA suits against those who do not have my level of resources to fight back. Another reason to support local journalism! https://www.theadvocate.com/ ...
Dan Mihalopoulos / @dmihalopoulos: Suing a reporter to hide public records about #MeToo allegations vs a public employee #FOIA @mvtopic https://www.theadvocate.com/ ...
Anita Creamer / @anitacreamer: Well, that doesn't sound like a coverup at all. You go, @aegallo! https://twitter.com/...
Tony Webster / @webster: The government suing reporters over FOIA requests they don't want to comply with is just such a bad look—and it's becoming increasingly common. https://www.theadvocate.com/ ...
@institute_trust: Many public officials don't like to reveal public records, especially if if has to do with misconduct in their own offices. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry on Friday sued a reporter over a public-records request she filed. https://www.theadvocate.com/ ... @FACoalition @CNPAservices
Jonathan Peters / @jonathanwpeters: Louisiana's @AGJeffLandry is suing journalist @aegallo for requesting public records re: a sexual harassment complaint against AG's top deputy. https://www.theadvocate.com/ ... I've written about these types of legal actions before. They're democratically dangerous. 1/
Hannah Knowles / Washington Post: ‘Intimidation measure’: Louisiana AG criticized for suing reporter over records request
Reid Wilson / @politicsreid: Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is suing a reporter who requested public records of an investigation into alleged sexual harassment by one of Landry's senior managers - https://www.theadvocate.com/ ...
Terry Bouton / @terryboutonhist: Founding Fathers: A free press is the foundation of democracy Louisiana' Republican Attorney General: Except when the press is trying to uncover damaging information about my administration. https://twitter.com/...
Skyler Swisher / @skylerswisher: So where does press freedom stand in the United States in 2021? Louisiana's attorney general is suing a reporter for filing a public records request. https://www.theadvocate.com/ ... via @theadvocatebr
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: Last month, 50 attorneys general signed a letter decrying the Capitol riot. One wouldn't sign — Jeff Landry, of Louisiana https://www.katc.com/...
David Hammer / @davidhammerwwl: Louisiana's @AGJeffLandry is using your tax dollars to sue a newspaper reporter because she asked for public records his office had already promised to give her. You can't make this stuff up. @WWLTV https://twitter.com/...
Gordon Russell / @gordonrussell1: This is new one on me. @AGJeffLandry has sued @aegallo for requesting public records (of the investigation into a sexual harassment complaint filed against a top Landry deputy). He's seeking a declaratory judgment, sealed proceedings: https://www.theadvocate.com/ ...
Marisa Iati / @marisa_iati: One of Louisiana's top officials casually sued a reporter over a request for records regarding sexual harassment complaints. Must be something good in those documents! https://twitter.com/...
Mike Balsamo / @mikebalsamo1: “In my 40 years as an editor, I've never seen a journalist get sued for requesting a public record,” said Peter Kovacs, the newspaper's editor. “We're not intimidated. In fact, we're more determined.” https://twitter.com/...
Ted Bridis / @tbridis: Florida Senate Bill 400, by @isayray, would prohibit government agencies from seeking declaratory relief against requesters of public records @FLFAF https://www.theadvocate.com/ ...
Dillon Collier / @dilloncollier: Streisand Effect. Tried to keep it hidden and now a lot more people know about it. https://twitter.com/...
Bryn Stole / @brynstole: “We're not intimidated. In fact, we're more determined.” -@PKovacs7. https://twitter.com/...
J. David McSwane / @davidmcswane: Ha. Good luck! https://twitter.com/...
David Begnaud / @davidbegnaud: “Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry on Friday sued a reporter for The Advocate and The Times-Picayune over a public-records request she filed, asking a judge to issue a declaratory judgment denying the request and seal the proceedings.” https://www.theadvocate.com/ ...
Rebekah Allen / @rebekahallen: The Attorney General of Louisiana is suing a reporter for filing a public records request seeking records about one of his deputies. https://twitter.com/...
Kyle Whitfield / @kyle_whitfield: So for those scoring at home, Andrea has sued folks for access to public records (LSU) AND been sued herself over public records. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Eyre / @ericeyre: Reporter files FOIA request with Louisiana Attorney General's Office. Attorney General responds by filing lawsuit against reporter. https://twitter.com/...
David Folkenflik / @davidfolkenflik: What's the opposite of lagniappe? “Mr. Landry is using taxpayer dollars and the power of his office to punish a citizen for demanding public records about public employees” https://twitter.com/...
Jerry Lambe / Law & Crime: State Attorney General Sues Journalist For Requesting Copies of Harassment Complaints Against Top Deputy
Jordan Williams / The Hill: Louisiana AG sues reporter over FOIA request
Brad Reed / Raw Story:
OANN aired a three-hour “election fraud” film by MyPillow CEO with a disclaimer that it doesn't endorse any statements made about Dominion or Smartmatic — Trump-loving One America News is airing a special the touts conspiracy theories being peddled by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell …
Discussion:
Washington Post: Smartmatic files $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox News over election fraud claims
Sarah J. Jackson / @sjjphd: One of the first moves organizations that know they are in serious legal and/or public relations precarity make is sacrificing personnel. It's damage control, yes, but also signifies they know they are in deep trouble. https://twitter.com/...
@keith_pochick: Hunter Biden strikes again from his laptop and takes out @LouDobbs. https://twitter.com/...
Brett Pransky / @brettpransky: Multi-billion dollar lawsuits can have this effect. https://twitter.com/...
Gretchen Carlson / @gretchencarlson: Unbelievable ... but if true ... just now? @Foxnews has allowed the craziness to be promulgated for a LONG time. https://twitter.com/...
@phd_femme: BAHAHAHA this is amazing news these lawsuits have forced more truth & daylight into existence than anything else has in YEARS. https://twitter.com/...
@tdonline: Fox News has some explaining to do on voting system lawsuit | Cotterell https://www.tallahassee.com/ ...
Pattern Integrity Films / @pttrn_ntgrty: 🤣🤣🤣 I cannot imagine, even in my worst of nightmares, falling on a sword for Trump. https://twitter.com/...
@nytimesbusiness: Smartmatic filed a lawsuit for over $2.7 billion against Fox News, accusing the network of promoting a false narrative about its role in the 2020 election. @bennyt speaks to the C.E.O. of Smartmatic and the lawyer behind the case. Listen to The Daily. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@shawnlindley2: So looks like Trump didn't even pay him but now he may have to pay them because of all the lies he told. https://twitter.com/...
@kremlinsfiddle: @Acosta $2.7 billion lawsuits with real exposure seem to get Rupert's attention. https://twitter.com/...
Jordan Rogers / @rogerswork: Fox could be in legitimate peril. Connolly won $177m from ABC. This lawsuit is 15x that (and Disney is 5x bigger than Fox). FoxCorp could cover ~$2.7b but it would hurt and I doubt FoxNews channel is worth that much. Who knows how that shakes out but they got al capone for taxes https://twitter.com/...
Andy Mills:
Audio producer Andy Mills, a creator and co-star of the NYT podcast Caliphate whose behavior has come under sustained scrutiny, has resigned — Today I'm resigning from The New York Times. Those are not words I ever wanted to write. — Growing up, I never even imagined that I would get the chance …
Discussion:
@sullydish, @marcatracy, NPR, @celesteheadlee, New York Post, @saletan, @achangeoftune, @sonipaul, @shomarq, @lauraolin, Wall Street Journal, @msmelchen, Insider, @fmcapper, @moorehn, @moorehn, @joshuagchris, @wagatwe, @jolentag, @chick_in_kiev, @moorehn, @jolentag, @jolentag, @jolentag, @jolentag, @jolentag, @jbenton, @joshuagchris, @thrasherxy, @meganphelps, @oberandout, @reblavoie, @longdrivesouth, @thecut, @tuckwoodstock, @tuckwoodstock, @jbarro, @jbarro, @jbarro, @wertwhile, @jbarro, @jbarro, @jbarro, @stevekrak, @shomarq, @shomarq, @kmele, @kmele, @bariweiss, @dylanmatt, @kmele, @juliacarriew, @genepark, @jondanziger, @bariweiss and @davidfolkenflik
Discussion:
Andrew Sullivan / @sullydish: No one should ever have to write a letter like this. https://www.andymills.work/...
Marc Tracy / @marcatracy: Per note from Dean Baquet and Joe Kahn, Andy Mills has resigned from The Times. Have not immediately been able to reach Mills. Story tk. https://twitter.com/...
David Folkenflik / NPR: 2 Prominent ‘New York Times’ Journalists Depart Over Past Behavior
Celeste Headlee / @celesteheadlee: Or to face real consequences?? https://twitter.com/...
Michael Goodwin / New York Post: New York Times ties itself in woke knots
Will Saletan / @saletan: Mills, like McNeil, says his own behavior was wrong but gives mitigating details. Here's his account: https://www.andymills.work/... His story might be incomplete or inaccurate. And we can argue about what standard to apply in judging it. I'm asking whether the standard has changed. /5
Joni Deutsch / @achangeoftune: “We owe each other a culture of collaboration, collegiality and respect...” https://twitter.com/...
Ely / @shomarq: everyone join me in lying down on the ground and staring at the ceiling (if you aren't aware: the fact that he got to resign/quit himself instead of being fired is again, a privilege afforded more to white men than anyone else) (also that resignation letter... jesus.) https://twitter.com/...
Laura Olin / @lauraolin: excited to see how he fails up. Politico's head of audio perhaps https://twitter.com/...
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal: High-Profile New York Times Staffers Depart Amid Newsroom Controversy
Melissa Chen / @msmelchen: With whatever credibility I have, I too attest to Andy's integrity as a professional and as a human being. By the time I met him, he was already at the Times, trail blazing through the frontier of podcast world. He's competent, talented and thoughtful. It's the NYT's loss. https://twitter.com/...
Connor Perrett / Insider: 2 journalists at The New York Times left the company following separate controversies
Mickey Capper / @fmcapper: I don't believe that anyone is above redemption & improvement, but the Andy Mills resignation letter doesn't even attempt to express any kind of reflection on the harm he caused—the only room for growth he points to is talking over people!
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: I think this tweet also captures something important. None of this is about wanting anyone destroyed. It is about having equitable working conditions and agreed-upon rules of behavior and respect at work. Like, we must agree women cannot be treated like Andy Mills treated women. https://twitter.com/...
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: I don't know Andy Mills but for days, women in media wrote threads about his behavior and how the usual advice was not to be in a room with him. That's more than “being a flirt” and feels like something that was worth addressing.
Joshua Christensen / @joshuagchris: People that look like me (myself included) in the audio industry need to do more of the emotional labor like was done in response to Andy Mills in our work places and communities. Huge debt of gratitude owed to some real leaders. You know who you are
Wagatwe Wanjuki / @wagatwe: DARVO. Classic gaslighting response where he plays the victim. https://twitter.com/...
Jolenta Greenberg / @jolentag: Do yourself a favor and read this Andy Mills resignation post. It's truly a mind fuck. https://www.andymills.work/... https://twitter.com/...
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: Andy Mills, producer of Caliphate resigns from the NYT, blaming a “public smear campaign” and downplaying concerns about his conduct that many women allege occurred long after he admits here. https://www.andymills.work/...
Jolenta Greenberg / @jolentag: Correction @AndyMillsNYT the word is predator, not flirt. https://twitter.com/...
Jolenta Greenberg / @jolentag: He's a victim. Andy Mills is a victim of us noticing he failed up. Andy Mills is a victim of the consequences of his actions, no matter how late they came. Victim of his own hubris, not a political climate for sure. https://twitter.com/...
Jolenta Greenberg / @jolentag: HE WAS ABOUT TO BE THE TIMES AUDIO DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT WHEN THIS ALL BLEW UP. imagine all the women who would have felt unable to pitch there or work under a guy known for aggressive sexual harassment from the moment he was on the scene as a low level producer https://twitter.com/...
Jolenta Greenberg / @jolentag: This is the part that scares me the most about our industry. As Andy Mills was publicly giving back a Peabody for journalistic fraud, the @nytimes promoted him to the Director of Development for audio. He'd been handed a PRIME GATEKEEPING role. https://twitter.com/...
Jolenta Greenberg / @jolentag: Also don't do shameful things when you're in the public sphere then they won't get pointed out! You're not being shamed, you being held accountable publicly for misdeeds done in you public-facing work life. And you're ashamed of those misdeeds. https://twitter.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: If you ever have to resign from something and write a public letter about it, make it better than this one https://www.andymills.work/...
Joshua Christensen / @joshuagchris: @reblavoie Coming to Cumulous media next fall..."Woke Mob" with Andy Mills and Ben Shapiro
Dr. Steven W. Thrasher / @thrasherxy: For some reason, when a person brands a url on their website to end in .work/resign, I think they're going to land on their feet just fine. For YEARS I've heard from women/of color at WNYC who were impacted by Mills & others. I hope they get the kinds of chances he squandered. https://twitter.com/...
Megan Phelps-Roper / @meganphelps: This is a sad day for my friend Andy, but a worse one for the New York Times. Thread: https://twitter.com/...
Lauren Ober / @oberandout: Seems like Andy Mills could have saved a lot of ink being spilled and just written “I'm sorry I've been a huge dirtbag.” This resignation letter is ripped from the pages of “Fancy Men Who Do Bad Things, But Don't Want To Actually Say 'I'm Sorry.'” https://www.andymills.work/...
Rebecca Lavoie / @reblavoie: Read the tweet. The statement is optional. https://twitter.com/...
Daniel Hernandez / @longdrivesouth: The Andy Mills resignation, ladies and gentlemen. I've been reading for five minutes and haven't gotten to the contrition part yet but have learned a lot (a lot) about how he grew up and the great things he's done. 🤨 https://www.andymills.work/...
@thecut: “Caliphate” producer and reporter Andy Mills has resigned from the New York Times. Revisit our 2018 report on sexual harassment at WNYC, including complaints against Mills from his time at the station's “Radiolab” podcast https://www.thecut.com/...
Tuck Woodstock / @tuckwoodstock: One more thing about this paragraph (although I could go on) — multiple women left jobs that they loved dearly because of Andy Mills! Like, several women! I cannot emphasize this enough! https://twitter.com/...
Tuck Woodstock / @tuckwoodstock: If I did not want to be publicly shamed for being a serial predator towards women in my industry, I would simply not be a serial predator towards women in my industry. https://twitter.com/...
Josh Barro / @jbarro: But when the podcast was wrong, he says he's not to blame, because his bosses told him that. What? https://twitter.com/...
Josh Barro / @jbarro: He says in this letter that he “helped create and produce” Caliphate. The show's credits give him standalone credit as “producer.” When it won a Peabody, he posed holding it with Rukmini Callimachi. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Josh Barro / @jbarro: The manner in which Mills brushes past the central error in Caliphate — a very big error that he presided over! — makes me quite distrustful of whatever else he has to say. https://twitter.com/...
Joel Wertheimer / @wertwhile: @jbarro Does he dispute, e.g., that this happened? Because it would a) contradict the central thing you note above and also contradict the thing about his mistakes being old and that he was reformed. https://twitter.com/...
Josh Barro / @jbarro: It's obviously in Mills' interest for the argument to be about whether he was unfairly punished for old behavior when he was at WNYC rather than about whether he was unfairly punished for a journalistic failure.
Josh Barro / @jbarro: But it's actually worse that his conception of the job was apparently that it was someone else's job to make sure the podcast was accurate. That's not what it means to have fact-checkers!
Josh Barro / @jbarro: @sullydish I dunno, this feels like leaning into the culture war-related aspect of the dispute to draw attention away from the issue of presiding over a serious journalistic mistake.
Steve Krakauer / @stevekrak: What's happening to Andy Mills MAY bring us to the closest thing we have to an a-ha moment about the overreach of cancel culture. https://www.andymills.work/...
Ely / @shomarq: For people who want to read Andy Mills' resignation letter and not drive traffic to his website, here are screenshots with alt text (1/2) bring alcohol if you drink it https://twitter.com/...
@kmele: Mills leaving is a huge loss for NYT. He was serially underappreciated. Serially underpaid. And unflinchingly loyal to the paper (frustrating as it's become for me, that last bit remains true). Mills gave me cause to hope the NYT would get its act together. So much for that.
@kmele: For as long as I've known him, I can only remember him telling me one lie (but he's done so repeatedly): 'I'm not more talented than anyone else; I just work harder.' Bogus. He's one of the most talented storytellers I've ever met — and I know a lot of phenomenal storytellers. https://twitter.com/...
Bari Weiss / @bariweiss: Great thread by @kmele about our friend Andy Mills and the despicable ideological Puritans who tried to shame him. https://twitter.com/...
Dylan Matthews / @dylanmatt: I'd be interested to know which, if any, of the many stories about Andy Mills to come out over the last couple of months he disputes https://twitter.com/...
@kmele: Bit of a lousy day. Thoughts are w/ my friend @AndyMillsNYT. Hope you'll read his moving + instructive resignation letter in full. Andy didn't want to leave @nytimes. Candidly, if NYT had half the integrity it purports to have, they wouldn't let him go... https://www.andymills.work/...
Julia Carrie Wong / @juliacarriew: Is it literally physically impossible for anyone involved in the making of Caliphate to feel or express actual responsibility and remorse for perpetrating a massive lie ??? ?? ??????????? https://www.andymills.work/... https://twitter.com/...
Gene Park / @genepark: “The allegations on Twitter quickly escalated to the point where my actual shortcomings and past mistakes were replaced with gross exaggerations and baseless claims.” Oh boy. https://twitter.com/...
Jon Danziger / @jondanziger: This statement is amazing. “I fucked up beyond belief, but it is Twitter that is to blame.” https://twitter.com/...
Bari Weiss / @bariweiss: “Ride or die baby! I'm thrilled about this. You are a treasured colleague and an insane talent,” wrote Andy Mills's boss upon Andy's promotion in December. But today my dear friend is out @nytimes. Why? Read his letter. Andy: Ride or die. But actually. https://www.andymills.work/...
RELATED:
The Daily Beast:
NYT says Donald McNeil Jr. is leaving the company, days after staffers complained to bosses about the handling of reports he used racist language on a trip — Multiple students who attended a Times-sponsored trip with Don McNeil in 2019 alleged that he used racist slurs throughout the journey.
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, PEN America, @katzonearth, @binarybits, @pkafka, @pkafka, TheGrio, @owasow, @baseballcrank, @richlowry, @ryangrim, @jessesingal, @thedailybeast, Reason, @marcatracy, @mattwelch, @bgrueskin, @erikwemple, @davidcayj, @gpollowitz, @jessesingal, @nycsouthpaw, @lwoodhouse, @dropeik, @deborahblum, @deborahblum, @froomkin, @jeremymbarr, @erikwemple, @edasante77 and @maxnordau
Discussion:
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post: New York Times promises ‘results’ to staff angry about allegations of a reporter's racist slur
Jonathan Myerson Katz / @katzonearth: In other words, I can't say I'm surprised. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Timothy B. Lee / @binarybits: Beyond his failure to bowdlerize the n-word, the most specific allegations against Don McNeil are that he “did not believe in the concept of white privilege” and “said white supremacy doesn't exist.” These views are pretty widely held on the right. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: I asked NYT CEO @meredith_levien about McNeil a few hours before his departure was announced. Talked about efforts to improve diversity, communication etc.
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: NYT's star pandemic reporter is out following staff complaints over his use of n-word on a student trip. NYT execs initially defended McNeil, then told staff that “We are determined to learn the right lessons from this incident. You will see results.” https://twitter.com/...
Omar Wasow / @owasow: Addendum: Dean Baquet initially argued the “comments were not ‘hateful or malicious’ in intent.” However, “At least six students or their parents claimed McNeil had made racist and sexist remarks throughout the trip.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Rich Lowry / @richlowry: Imagine spiking the football over this NY Times Star Reporter Is Gone After Daily Beast Exposé https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ... via @thedailybeast
Jesse Singal / @jessesingal: https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ... Wait so NHJ just announces she is going to insert herself into the HR investigation as a reporter? Is this how things normally go at the Times? Her bosses are cool with that? The DB article cuts off right there so no answers! https://twitter.com/...
@thedailybeast: Multiple students who attended a New York Times-sponsored trip with Don McNeil in 2019 alleged that he used racist slurs throughout the journey. Now he's been pushed out of the Times. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Marc Tracy / @marcatracy: Includes McNeil apology: https://twitter.com/...
Matt Welch / @mattwelch: “At that meeting, Pulitzer Prize-winner Nikole Hannah-Jones said she planned on calling the parents and students on the trip to determine what McNeil had said and in what context, according to people familiar with the situation.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Bill Grueskin / @bgrueskin: @ErikWemple This seems like one of those cases where The Times could have been more explicit from the beginning, rather than let this seep out and allow people to draw even worse conclusions
@erikwemple: @BGrueskin Well, that's precisely what happened with the Wolfe situation, in which they issued a statement saying that they wouldn't part ways with someone over a “single tweet,” leaving folks to wonder what other possible misconduct could have taken place.
David Cay Johnston / @davidcayj: The @nytimes just fired Donald G. McNeil Jr., the brilliant global public health reporter who repeated a racial slur when a high school student asked about its use. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Greg Pollowitz / @gpollowitz: Update. A little more context from The Daily Beast. Apparently, he did this the entire trip. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Jesse Singal / @jessesingal: 2/ “We do not tolerate racist language regardless of intent” This suggests that “impact, not intent,” an idea so morally broken and reactionary I've only associated it with 20-year-old Tumblr weirdos in the past, now holds sway at the New York Times. https://twitter.com/...
Southpaw / @nycsouthpaw: “regardless of intent” seems like a less thoughtful standard than they might have fashioned here, and I'd worry it will trip them up. It also denies some weight to complaints of the parents who thought the situation was grave enough bring to the NYT brass's attention years ago. https://twitter.com/...
Leighton Akio Woodhouse / @lwoodhouse: “Regardless of intent.” The insane norms of twitter are now being applied by HR departments and costing real people their jobs. https://twitter.com/...
David Ropeik / @dropeik: @ErikWemple @deborahblum heartbreaking ‘cancellation’ over an admittedly thoughtless but innocent (no evil intent) mistake. and a huge los to the public.
Deborah Blum / @deborahblum: @dropeik @ErikWemple Could not disagree more, David. And defending the use of language well known to be associated with a history of terrorism and murder of black Americans as “innocent” is an irresponsible thing to say.
Deborah Blum / @deborahblum: @dropeik @ErikWemple And irresponsible is the kindest way for me to put it.
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: Back in May, Donald McNeil was my hero: https://presswatchers.org/... But if there's one word that's legitimately a firing offense, it's that one. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: I checked with New York Times PR twice this week to see why Donald McNeil hasn't been publishing and to ask what his status was. Didn't hear back. https://twitter.com/...
Erik Wemple / @erikwemple: McNeil's note adds important detail to previous accounts of his Peru trip. For example, the Times issued a statement saying, “We found he had used bad judgment by repeating a racist slur in the context of a conversation about racist language.”
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
Study finds debunking misinformation after exposure is more effective at improving an individual's truth discernment a week later than “prebunking” or labeling — Debunking > prebunking. If you want someone to not believe that false or misleading headline they just read, when's the best time to correct it?
Isaac Chotiner / New Yorker:
Interview with Marty Baron on some of the controversies during his tenure at WaPo, how the paper covered Bezos, and what he wanted to achieve in Washington DC — The soon-to-retire executive editor defends the idea of journalistic objectivity. “It's not neutrality, it's not both-sides-ism, it's not so-called balance,” he says.
Discussion:
@philiprucker, @loriamontgomery, @rizzotk, @kendrawrites, @michaelluo, @pvdmeersch, @vivian, @ichotiner, @leonkrauze, @ashleyrparker and @svdate
Discussion:
Philip Rucker / @philiprucker: “The idea of objectivity—I should make clear—it's not neutrality, it's not both-sides-ism, it's not so-called balance. It's never been that....It's to tell people in an unflinching way what we have learned, what we have discovered.” — @PostBaron https://www.newyorker.com/...
Lori Montgomery / @loriamontgomery: “I'm certainly proud of how we covered the Trump Administration when we were under incessant attack. We stood firm against that attack, and, at a broader level, we stood firm against an assault on objective fact.” — @PostBaron https://www.newyorker.com/...
Sal Rizzo / @rizzotk: Marty took interest in The Fact Checker, championed and defended our work, got us a book deal, and has stood for the truth in countless other ways. I'll miss him and the next editor has enormous shoes to fill. https://twitter.com/...
@kendrawrites: “if allegiance to objectivity and detachment blinds us to other values, it produces neither humane behavior nor sound s̶c̶i̶e̶n̶ c̶e̶” journalism. https://twitter.com/...
Michael Luo / @michaelluo: Nice to see Marty Baron summon Walter Lippman's original conception of “objectivity.” I wrote more about it in this piece about the press's obligation in democracy. https://www.newyorker.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Peter Vandermeersch / @pvdmeersch: Great editor about leading a newspaper in 2021. Marty Baron Considers His Time at the Washington Post https://www.newyorker.com/... via @NewYorker
Vivian Schiller / @vivian: “I think there are a lot of managers... who manage with the intention of being liked. I manage with the intention of being respected” - @PostBaron to @IChotiner. https://www.newyorker.com/...
Isaac Chotiner / @ichotiner: New Interview: I talked to Marty Baron about his time running the Washington Post, his dealings with Jeff Bezos, and the meaning of objectivity in journalism. https://www.newyorker.com/...
Elahe Izadi / Washington Post:
By turning their spotlight onto Marjorie Taylor Greene's abhorrent views, major outlets are turning the freshman lawmaker into a star and helping her fundraise — Marjorie Taylor Greene's backstory was no secret. — Before she became the congresswoman representing Georgia's 14th District …
Discussion:
Vogue, @wsj, @gsorensen, @howardkurtz, @joannelipman, @terri_rupar, @rossacrosswi, @deadline, @tzipshmil, @mollyjongfast, @wabenews, Vincent's Newsletter, @mbdantonio, @rickchaptertwo, @deanputney, @nytnational, @lynnv378, @slate, This Here Newsletter, @jayrosen_nyu, @jasonhirschhorn, The Guardian and @markberman
Discussion:
Molly Jong-Fast / Vogue: Marjorie Taylor Greene Is No Outlier. She Is Now the Face of the Republican Party
@wsj: From @WSJopinion: Everyone agrees Rep. Greene's past social-media posts were nutty. But it's a troubling precedent for the House majority party to overrule the committee assignments of the minority, based on a politician's words before taking office. https://www.wsj.com/...
Howard Kurtz / @howardkurtz: .@GuyPBenson says the media are overplaying Marjorie Taylor Greene, a “kook” who should be “far more obscure than she is” @LizClaman says GOPers must decide if they want someone “damaging” to the party @CPtime #Mediabuzz https://video.foxnews.com/...
Joanne Lipman / @joannelipman: @Sulliview @CNN ...and the media - including @cnn - is following the same playbook now with Marjorie Taylor Greene
Terri Rupar / @terri_rupar: Even if every single story is responsible, there are a lot of news outlets that all are writing on the same topic. Is that okay? Is there any way to stop that? What if *one* story is done irresponsibly? Does that ruin it all? No easy answers on this. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Scot Ross / @rossacrosswi: Media won't call years and years and years of racist Republican attacks on the rights of Black people in Wisconsin as racist. https://twitter.com/...
Deadline Hollywood / @deadline: ‘SNL’: Weekend Update Fires Shots At Marjorie Taylor Greene, “Former Social Media Influencer” Donald Trump https://deadline.com/...
@tzipshmil: .@MollyJongFast asks the right question: “is Marjorie Taylor Greene all that worse than a Ted Cruz or a Josh Hawley?” the answer is no, in fact, they are worse and far more dangerous https://www.vogue.com/... via @voguemagazine
Molly Jong-Fast / @mollyjongfast: I wrote about all the other Marjorie Taylor Greenes in the Republican Party in @voguemagazine https://www.vogue.com/...
@wabenews: Georgia stayed in the national spotlight again this week as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's social media posts and likes condoning violence against Democrats and comments caught on video got her removed from Congressional committees. https://www.wabe.org/...
Vincent C. Bradshaw / Vincent's Newsletter: February 6, 2021 — The memo calls for agencies to combat criminalization of LGBTQ identity …
Michael D'Antonio / @mbdantonio: Great take on new twist in Right wing nuttery 🐿Blame the press for your inability to identify insane conspiracy theories. Google made me do it! More false victimhood for political hooligans. https://slate.com/...
@rickchaptertwo: Lindsey Graham no longer has the judiciary gavel. Hell, even his butt buddy doesn't take him golfing anymore. Marjorie Taylor Greene is useless. She's simply a paperweight. It's time the media stopped putting them in the spotlight. At least until they topple.
@nytnational: Voters in Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's Georgia district saw her as a conservative voice that would be impossible to ignore. Now, the revelation of past social media posts in which she endorsed violent behavior has unsettled some who backed her. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lynn V / @lynnv378: This last week I found myself thinking about Marjorie Taylor Greene & there's one word that keeps coming to mind: Birtherism. That's how Trump got his start, he became the media darling, their infatuation, & then seven years later, we ended up with him at the White House.
@slate: There's no taking of responsibility here; there is simply the deft reallocation of it. https://slate.com/...
Will Leitch / This Here Newsletter: Volume 3, Issue 49: Walken
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: There are good reasons not to cover her. There are good reasons she has to be covered. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... I told the Post reporter, @ElaheIzad, there's no good answer to amplification problems like this. Just better or worse practices.
Jason Hirschhorn / @jasonhirschhorn: No, they cannot. They didn't figure out how to cover Trump. Made him and her more powerful... The media can't ignore Marjorie Taylor Greene. Can they figure out how to cover her? https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Edward Wasserman / Mother Jones:
NYT's new disclosures about Neil Sheehan's deception of Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, and its framing, raise concerns about journalistic ethics — Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.
Discussion:
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Excellent from @SteveEngelberg. My journo spidey sense, too, prickled as I read the Sheehan obit and Steve raises the right questions here. Seeing the Pentagon Papers in a New Light https://www.propublica.org/...
Jim Naureckas / @jnaureckas: Interesting look at @NYTimes' Pentagon Papers “scoop,” by @SteveEngelberg of @ProPublica. I did not appreciate how much of that now-it-can-be-told story had already been told. https://www.propublica.org/...
Geeta Anand / @goanand: Should journalists ever lie to their sources? I agree with ProPublica's editor-in-chief whose column looks at how the NYT treated the brave source of the Pentagon Papers Daniel Ellsberg. https://www.propublica.org/...
@sulliview: Seeing the Pentagon Papers in a New Light. Fascinating look at what we now know, by @SteveEngelberg of @propublica https://www.propublica.org/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: “ there are very strong procedural, moral and ethical rules that have to be re-examined and in some circumstances violated” https://www.propublica.org/...
@propublica: We know the government lied about Vietnam. But should the reporter who published the Pentagon Papers have lied to his source? https://www.propublica.org/...
James Fallows / @jamesfallows: Good piece by Edward Wasserman in @MotherJones on the complex ethics of (the great) Neil Sheehan's final account: https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Stuart MaskDonald / @travelfish: “ The idea that lying to a trusting and truthful source is among the options in a newsroom's ethical playbook is ridiculous, and it cannot help but discourage whistleblowers with vital secrets from coming forward.” https://twitter.com/...
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: Pretty amazing. Read to the end. “Consider the Source: How the New York Times deceived Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg.” https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
@robertellsberg: More about the @nytimes misleading story on Neil Sheehan and my father's role in the Pentagon Papers. Doesn't address the Times' 2nd article, or why they declined my 3 efforts to post a comment. Seeing the Pentagon Papers in a New Light https://www.propublica.org/...
Clara Jeffery / @clarajeffery: Why did NYT superstar Neil Sheehan deceive his source Daniel Ellsberg about the Times' plans to publish the Pentagon Papers? Important journo ethics and history lesson from @edwardwasserman, former dean of Berkeley J-School: https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Greg Mitchell / Between Rock and a Hard Place: If You're NOT Ready for Some Football.... Let's get right to it, as revered/dreaded Super Bowl Sunday nears.
Edward Wasserman / @edwardwasserman: We need people to take the brave step of coming forward when they have publicly significant information that is being wrongly kept secret, but they won't if the media don't treat them with honesty and respect. That didn't happen with the Pentagon Papers. https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Berkeley Journalism / @ucbsoj: Ethics Prof. @edwardwasserman reports about the ethics of recent disclosures in @nytimes about one of the most consequential journalism coups of the past half-century: the 1971 publication of the Pentagon Papers, in @MotherJones. https://www.motherjones.com/ ...
Jeff Jarvis / @jeffjarvis: Here is my thread about the Sheehan story when it was published in The Times, raising questions about lying to a source. The other question raised is why The Times did not call Ellsberg to comment; this, too, is beyond me. https://twitter.com/...
Ben Dreyfuss / @bendreyfuss: This is a really interesting story about the Pentagon Papers deception thing, but I still don't understand how Ellsberg realized Sheehan had secretly copied the files https://www.motherjones.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Madeleine Baran / @madeleinebaran: Journalists need to be held accountable, too. Reporters have power and we must take care w/it. What apparently happened with the NYT's handling of the Pentagon Papers - deceiving a source, lying about it, and then essentially bragging about it - is not ok. https://www.motherjones.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Celine Castronuovo / The Hill:
Twitter permanently suspends the account of Jim Hoft, founder and EIC of far-right news website Gateway Pundit, for violations of its “civic integrity policy” — Twitter on Saturday issued a permanent suspension for the account run by Jim Hoft, founder and editor-in-chief …
Discussion:
Fox News, CNN, Forbes, RT, @antisillypirate, Mediaite, theepochtimes.com, @keithbaldrey and Insider
Discussion:
Evie Fordham / Fox News: Twitter permanently suspends Gateway Pundit founder, radio host Wayne Allyn Root
Alexis Benveniste / CNN: Twitter banned Gateway Pundit founder Jim Hoft
AJ Dellinger / Forbes: Twitter suspends ‘Gateway Pundit’ Jim Hoft
RT: ‘Euphemism for censorship’? Twitter permanently bans Gateway Pundit founder Jim Hoft for violations of ‘civic integrity policy’
Sarah Rumpf / Mediaite: Twitter Permanently Suspends Jim Hoft, Proprietor of Conspiracy-Peddling Pro-Trump Blog The Gateway Pundit
Keith Baldrey / @keithbaldrey: Good to see Twitter taking action against extremists. https://twitter.com/...
Yelena Dzhanova / Insider: Twitter suspended far-right website Gateway Pundit's founder account
Al Jazeera:
Egypt has released Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Mahmoud Hussein from jail after more than four years in pre-trial detention — Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Mahmoud Hussein freed after spending more than four years in detention. — Egypt has released Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein …
Discussion:
Declan Walsh / @declanwalsh: Never charged. Never stood trial. Four years in an Egyptian prison. And finally released after Egypt and Qatar mended their fences, if proof were needed that the journalist was effectively a political hostage. https://twitter.com/...
@abdynoor: “Al Jazeera Media Network welcomes the news of Mahmoud's freedom and believes that no journalist should ever be subjected to what Mahmoud has suffered for the past four years for merely carrying out his profession. https://www.aljazeera.com/...
Carrie Brown / @carriebrowntv: On the day of Mahmoud's release, Al Jazeera calls for freedom for all journalists unjustly imprisoned. “We commend all international human rights organisations, media institutions & journalists for their continuous support against the arbitrary detention of Mahmoud Hussein” https://twitter.com/...
Abdifatah Hassan Ali / @iamabdi5: His family must be so relieved to see him freed and have him back. He should have never been arrested in the first place! https://twitter.com/...
Harun Maruf / @harunmaruf: Egypt has released Al Jazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein after more than four years in detention without formal charges or trial https://www.aljazeera.com/...
@ajenews: Hussein, an Egyptian national held under preventive detention since December 2016, was released from jail on Saturday. https://www.aljazeera.com/...
Nazanine Moshiri / @nazaninemoshiri: Fantastic news https://twitter.com/...
Kate Woodsome / @kwoodsome: Journalist Mahmoud Hussein is finally free. Arrested in Cairo 12/23/16 on a family visit, Egypt accused him of “disseminating false news & receiving monetary funds from foreign authorities to defame the state's reputation.” He was never formally charged. https://www.aljazeera.com/...
Eoghan Corry / @eoghancorry: GREAT to hear of release of journalist Mahmoud Hussein, disturbing that it took 4 years & a realignment of international relations to achieve it https://www.aljazeera.com/...
Hasan Patel / @hasanpatel: Such a great piece of news! #mahmoudhussain was arrested just a few weeks before I had left comms at @AJEnglish to go back into the newsroom Former colleagues of @AlJazeera ensured the story remained in the news on a daily basis. So glad he is finally released. https://twitter.com/...
The North Africa Journal: Egypt: Al-Jazeera's Mahmoud Hussein free at last after spending four years in Egyptian prison
Mahmoud Mourad / Reuters: Egypt frees Al Jazeera Journalist after 4 years in pre-trial detention, brother and lawyer
Mike Masnick / Techdirt:
Democrats' Sec. 230 bill is a dumpster fire of cluelessness that effectively wipes out protections for the entire internet while pretending it's a minor change — For the past few months we've been seeing a ton of terrible/ridiculous/awful/unconstitutio nal bills coming from mostly Republicans …
Discussion:
@brianroemmele, @carnage4life, @benedictevans, @mattbilinsky, @stevesi, @benthompson, @amyalkon, @randfish, @thatadamguy, @karaswisher, @senatorshoshana and @jess_miers
Discussion:
Brian Roemmele / @brianroemmele: Mark Warner's 230 Reform Bill. As I said, the tech industry has no friends and took profoundly bad advice in their behavior and actions over the years. From 230 changes to antitrust they did not get what they paid for and this should have been obvious. https://www.techdirt.com/...
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: Democrats want to create moderation by lawsuits as their “fix” to section 230. As with all heavy handed regulation it will harm small companies way more than big ones who already have huge staff of legal teams. The unintended consequences will be huge. https://www.techdirt.com/...
Benedict Evans / @benedictevans: The endless nonsense abut section 230 is a perfect example. We can and will create more obligations around content. We can't create an absolute obligation without turning off most of the internet. https://www.techdirt.com/...
Matt Bilinsky / @mattbilinsky: Understatement is correct. This bill is actually intended to drive platforms to act MORE like “publishers” and moderate/censor MORE content. And smaller platforms? Forget about it. They'll get sued into oblivion since it shifts 203 from “immunity” to an “affirmative defense”. https://twitter.com/...
Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi: Now It's The Democrats Turn To Destroy The Open Internet: Mark Warner's 230 Reform Bill Is A Dumpster Fire Of Cluelessness | Techdirt // must read this. Must. https://www.techdirt.com/...
Ben Thompson / @benthompson: “A disaster of epic proportions” is, incredibly enough, an understatement. https://twitter.com/...
Amy Alkon / @amyalkon: “It is difficult to explain just how bad this bill is ... bc it has so many bad ideas crammed into one single bill. It's as if none of these 3 Senators or their staff spoke to anyone who actually understands how the internet works, or how content moderation/trust & safety works” https://twitter.com/...
Rand Fishkin / @randfish: DAMMIT Democrats, you should be smarter than this. https://www.techdirt.com/... “Would a #MeToo situation ever be allowed to happen if this law was in place? No f****** way. Weinstein and all sorts of powerful rich men would sue the **** out of Facebook & Twitter to stop that.” https://twitter.com/...
Adam Lasnik / @thatadamguy: At some point, I just have to wonder if our politicians are broadly but unintentionally ignorant on internet and speech issues... or if they know better but are just willfully grandstanding. https://twitter.com/...
@senatorshoshana: As always, appreciate @dellcam's reporting And love my senate bae @RonWyden “This bill would have the same effect as a full repeal of 230, but cause vastly more uncertainty and confusion, thanks to the tangle of new exceptions.” https://twitter.com/...
Jess Miers / @jess_miers: Not to mention, Techdirt is naturally prone to a slew of defamation suits (blogging about case law tends to lend itself to that reality). If they don't shut down voluntarily, their web host could certainly do it for them given the host's newfound derivative liability risks. https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
Emily Birnbaum / Protocol:
Democratic senators' SAFE TECH Act will strip Section 230 immunity for any ads or posts violating civil rights, antitrust, cyberstalking, human rights laws
Democratic senators' SAFE TECH Act will strip Section 230 immunity for any ads or posts violating civil rights, antitrust, cyberstalking, human rights laws
Discussion:
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: My first analysis of @MarkWarner @maziehirono & @amyklobuchar's bill to “reform” Section 230. It's a disaster of epic proportions. We'd almost certainly shut down Techdirt if it becomes law. It undermines everything about the open internet. https://www.techdirt.com/...