HOLY. FREAKING. CRAP.

Posted on Comments

Just now got in off the road, returning from Ohio where my wife’s parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. On the way — quite literally writing “on the road,” since the trip was seven hours — I composed a long post that I’ll put up later tonight.

But that’s going to have to wait a while, because I just logged on and saw this by Ladd Ehlinger and this by Dan Riehl. Both Dan and Ladd called me yesterday while I was driving to Ohio, but the cell-phone reception on the road was sufficiently crappy that I was unable to understand what they were talking about. And then I caught this link via Dan’s blog and . . .

HOLY. FREAKING. CRAP.

The blog-war aspect of this incident rather dwindles into insignficance when measured against the apparent willingness of a Las Vegas radio station to allow Mike Tyson to spew such filthy and derogatory racial stereotypes. Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clark writes:

Former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson is under fire for “deplorable” and “stomach-churning” graphic sexual descriptions in a local radio interview about Sarah Palin’s alleged fling with Glen Rice.
The website, Mediaite.com, also leveled criticism at “Gridlock” hosts Mitch Moss and Paul Howard, of ESPN affiliate KWWN-AM, 1100/ 98.9 FM, for finding humor in Tyson’s shocking take.
“The fact that someone convicted of sex crimes even talked about it in such disturbingly gross ways”… and “so violently like this over mass media” raises serious questions, wrote Mediaite columnist Frances Martel.
Moss, who also serves as “Gridlock’s” program director, and Howard “cackled and guffawed in harmony at Tyson’s deplorable comment,” according to Martel.

Does FCC know about this? How about AttackWatch? Now that I think of it, have we heard from Jill Filipovic, Jessica Valenti, Melissa McEwan or any of the other feminists? Because if Sarah Palin weren’t a Republican, I think they’d probably be outraged by this.

UPDATE: Catching up, I see Jim Hoft wondering:

Is this it?  Is there anything else they could say about Sarah Palin?

Dunno. But if there is, they’ll say it.

UPDATE II: Greta Van Susteren calls out Tucker Carlson by name:

I keep asking myself, why would Tucker allow this to be posted on his website?  . . .
Tucker has daughters and a wife and I would think he in particular would not want to be a purveyer of smut (and this is actually more, this is violence against women) and allow this to be posted on his website.
I emailed Tucker yesterday and asked him about it.  He did not reply.  I wanted to know what action he was going to take about it since I really did not want to blog about it and felt some urge to protect him.  24 hours have passed and I have not heard from Tucker and it is still on the front page of his website.
So…I am calling him out on this.  This is not about whether you are in favor of Governor Palin’s policies or not — this is about whether women should be treated this way and whether this is journalism.  It is also about the willingness to stand up to a friend when he or she has gone way over the top and this is one instance where a friend has gone way over the top.
Tucker can’t hide behind ‘this is news, it was said by Mike Tyson and we are simply reporting it.’  It is not news.  This denigrates women.   He knows that, I know that, you know that. . . .

Much much more at the link, explaining how a story about what Mike Tyson said became a story about how the Daily Caller reported it.

UPDATE III: Tammy Bruce slammed Daily Caller on Twitter, as did Jedediah Bila, while Sissy Willis wrote a whole post about it.

UPDATE IV: Linked by Da Tech Guy and now a Memeorandum thread.


155 comments

  1. No only did the use a convicted sex offender, they are taking advantage of an obviously mentally deficient person to say what they wanted said. Think about it.

  2. Has ESPN had a redress with thier 2 on air jocks who allowed this?
    I took them no time at all to call out Paul Azinger for saying something on twitter that was actually funny.

  3. Mike Tyson is a crack baby that can fight could fight. Now he is old and useless and belongs in a Subhuman dog pound where he should be put to sleep or at the very least never heard from again.

  4. They don’t care. Look, liberals use mysoginy and hate when it serves their interest. You remember Condi Rice? She though the liberals in the press were her friends. Then, when she was about to leave town, Will Farrell put on a show called “You’re Welcome, America: A Final Night with George W. Bush”. In it, Farrell as Bush did his best to paint Bush as an ignorant buffoon. 

    The worst part though was a walk on piece by Pia Glenn as Condi Rice in this piece where Glenn does a nightlclub pole dance in the oval office. The point was, had she been a white woman, or a liberal woman, it wouldn’t have happened. That she was a Republican black woman is the point against her. So Rice was slandered sexually on broadway and SRO houses filled with patrons laughed it off. 

    This is what liberals believe. This is what they do.

    Don’t blame Tyson. He’s an ignorant buffoon. Blame the people who put him on and the Romney stooges at the Caller who peddled his mysoginistic rant.

    Oh, by the way, you’ll notice that not one member of the Beltway GOP is standing up for Palin’s honor. Again. 

    She’s a big girl, though, so it’s probably something she expected.

  5. And GBTV and Daily Caller thinks it’s ok to make jokes and post it and NOT defend her!  The GOP men better start stepping up and say something about the lies about Gov Palin, thank God Stacy and Dan Riehl has some guts and pride, thank you so much!!!!  Glenn Beck should know better, could hanging with the cool kids be getting to him? I hope not, I respect Glenn, he has done so much for the truth, power is seductive, he better be careful.

  6. So is palin going to jump up & defend others?  I seem to not have heard a peep out of palin a few weeks ago when Ron Paul supporter was trying to attack Gov Perry in the newspaper sexually.  Palin & her supporters need to grow some skin, all y’all whine every time someone says something about her.  She is not the only one being talked about like y’all try to make it out ….

  7. Riehl needs to reel it in.  Tyson is psychotic.  Next.

    d(^_^)bhttp://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/”Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”

  8. If Tucker and his minions had handled it like Jim Hoft did, I don’t think there would have been a problem, but they came off like snickering little geeks.  And to compound the problem, the way they conducted themselves [especially, I’m sorry to say, Jim Treacher] with sacrcasm and taunts is juvenile.  Add in the way they treated Ladd Ehlinger and you can’t help but conclude that The Daily Caller does not deserve respect as a serious organization.

  11. Hey Jim, has Tucker approached Jane Harman? She loves investing in liberal websites, you know, plus, she’s buddies with Bob Livingston. I bet all you guys would get along with Meghan McCain at the Daily Beast.

  17. A second rate bum named Aaron Burr once shot to death a brilliant thinker named Alexander Hamilton when that sort of thing was legal.  Probably not a good idea.

  19. This unfortunate conflict seems to have escalated beyond the point where the code duello has any relevant application.

    Let it be noted, however, that if I worked for the Daily Caller, I would consider myself honor-bound either to defend the Daily Caller or else to resign. (See Elbert Hubbard’s “Get Out or Get in Line.”) So I understand Treacher’s sense of obligation in that regard.

    Of course, I don’t write for the Daily Caller. However, there have been times when writers at The American Spectator have written things I disagreed with, and I’m sure not every American Spectator writer agrees with everything I write. So there’s that.

    This unfortunate controversy about the Tyson story, however, isn’t about a mere difference of opinion, but about editorial judgment. There are those who say that Daily Caller has been purposefully unfair to Sarah Palin because Tucker Carlson hates Sarah Palin. And with that accusation as background, the Tyson story seems to have become a straw-that-broke-the-camel’s-back provocation for many people.

    But this isn’t the kind of fight I feel comfortable wading into as a particpant, because having been an early critic of the whole idea behind the Daily Caller, and both Dan and Ladd are my friends, my own motives would be questioned. Therefore, I’m just chronicling the dispute, rather than getting directly involved.

  20. It’s not about obligation. If I didn’t believe that I’m saying, I wouldn’t be saying it.

    I believe it’s a legitimate news story, and Tyson and that radio station should be held to account. I also believe that news is news and opinion is opinion, and I disagree with those who are demanding they be mixed.

  21. I’m not a journalist, nor have I ever claimed to be. I’d tell you to Google it, but it’s not cool to assign homework to strangers.

  22. Palin can take care of herself — she has clearly demonstrated that before.

    This is not so much about Palin, as it is about the atrocious behavior of ESPN, their affiliates, and The Daily Caller.   REGARDLESS of who was the target of Tyson’s vile invective, this behavior is unacceptable to decent people.

    Which does not imply good things about ESPN, their affiliates, or The Daily Caller.

  23. Victoria, you are insane. Palin is attacked worse than anybody and the attacks against her make news the Perry shit didn’t even make it anywhere. This garbage about Palin is spread and needs to be defended. Palin has defended Perry in the past and defended so many like Dr.Laura and Carrie Prejean and so many others.

  25. News, eh?  Hmmmmm……

    Sarah Palin met ‘the wombshifter’

    I’d expect that sort of headline to be on the National Enquirer.  Or maybe in Hustler magazine. 

    In my humble opinion, of course.

  28. The Caller’s format and attitude is perfect for the Conservative Ascendancy in these strange times.  For that, all associated with said enterprise deserve a respectful nod.  Of course, as with all enterprises, there will be room for criticism of details.  When the very republic is at stake, details don’t matter so much.

  29. This goes beyond Palin. This is an endemic part of the leftist mindset. Just ask yourselves, what would be the result if a conservative journalist wrote a book or an article that focused in part on some affair Barak Obama had at Harvard with a female white student, or even a white female professor. If it was somebody who had a regular column in one of the major papers or was employed by one of the big three networks, how long do you think it would be before there would be calls for a boycott, demands that the offending writer be fired. There might and probably more than likely would be threats of a lawsuit, maybe several of them. Leftard pundits would be screaming their heads off until they were hoarse about such a “racist” book and “racist” author, and they would be declaring it was “proof” that conservatives are racist.

    But this isn’t the argument conservatives should be using, because it sounds whiny. What you should do is DEMAND that conservative pundits just DO EXACTLY WHAT LIBERALS DO, CALL THIS BOOK BY MCGINNESS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS-RACIST!!!

    Because that’s what it is, its racist to the core, and its high time Democrats especially were called to task for this kind of shit. Don’t worry about whining about what would happen if a conservative wrote a similar book. Just do to liberals exactly what they do to you. Call them and their policies and such attitudes as expressed in this book RACIST, because that’s precisely what they are.

  30. Victoria the crazed Perry supporter is attacking Palin supporters for not standing to Ron Paul for his garbage on Perry. Victoria where was Perry and his supporters when Palin was being attacked during Tucson.  Come on. Nobody gives a shit about what Ron Paul and his cult say about nothing garbage. Victoria, Palin is attacked to no end for the last 3 years and no elected Republicans ever defend her. Palin also defended Haley and Brewer. Haley has never defended Palin. Palin also defended Bachmann until Bachmann betrayed her. Perry betrayed Palin as well.

  32. Wrong. This has to be called out. Is the Daily Caller a mainstream conservative site? ,if so their then there is no place for that garbage. The DC’s reaction to Riehl shows that they are the ones in the wrong and their behavior shows them to be the immature and unprofessional frat boy deviants, that we know them to be.

  34. Spot on, TPT.  The book by McGinniss is the root cause of this, and professional journalists should call him, and anyone who echoes McGinniss, on that racism.

    Alas, the ranks of professional journalists grows smaller by the day.  So all we’ll hear are the sounds of crickets, in between the shrill cries of lefties, and the cackles of their cronies.

  36. Calling it out is one thing.  1st Amendment and all that.  Raising an equivalence with the psychotic Tyson is another thing altogether.   That’s just a stupid maneuver in a pathetic cat fight.  Like smearing the entire DC as  unprofessional frat boy deviants.  I’m thinking ‘culture warrior’ O’Reilly (no bargain, as far as I’m concerned – believe me) should ask Mary Katherine Ham about that the next time she’s on his show.

  37. The Daily Caller’s format is not the issue, in my opinion, it’s a failure of leadership.Looking at Wikipedia to try to get a sense for what the Daily Caller was envisioned to be, it posts that In an interview with Politico, Carlson said that The Daily Caller will not be tied to ideology but rather will be “breaking stories of importance.” from a Politico interviewhttp://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0110/Tucker_Conventional_journalism_is_no_safer_than_a_startup.htmlSo, in my opinion, Tucker Carlson has to address himself how the Tyson interview posted up by Jeff Poor, which read more like a twitter message with a link to audio, is “breaking stories of importance”.Also, Tucker Carlson needs to own up to the fact that his own infamous tweet regarding Gov. Palin earlier in the year, makes it very controversial for his publication to lead on “stories of importance” related to Gov. Palin’s personal life. That was his responsibility.

  39. @ltw:  I said “format and attitude.”  Perhaps you missed that “detail”?  In any event, I’m beginning to detect the whiff of Palin Worship Syndrome.  Note the former Governor of Alaska is easily among my top 1% to become Prez.  But, really, the 1st Amendment is the 1st Amendment.  Take a chill pill.

  40. Treacher, I think you should stop digging. You used to be a pleasant stop on that site. After Carlson’s revealing MILF comment, that site is barely on the radar. Nobody minds honest critism, but alot of the tabloid crap that DC likes to run, much negative of Palin, make it unreadable.
    You can do much better than that stink hole.

  42. It’s not news if you don’t like the headline.

    Yet you say that you believe it’s a “legitimate news story”. 

    You’re a good writer, but sarcastic one liners isn’t the appropriate response here.  You and your employer are the discussion point here, not me.  No red herrings, please.

    Logic says that if you consider the story news, the highly evocative headline ran by The Daily Caller is fair game. 

    If you’re going to defend Tucker Carlson, which is wholly understandable, defend Tucker Carlson.  Don’t go for half measures.

    Stacy is entirely correct on this point. 

  43. I’m not getting the “blog war” aspects of this. This is a really serious problem – Tyson’s vile comments are just the latest in a series – remember Matt Taibbi yucking it up with Don Imus? Violent rape fantasies. Ha Ha. Conservative Women. Deserve it. What’s wrong with that?

    Imus got kicked off the air for his nappy headed ho comments, but it’s ok to joke about violent rape of conservative women. And these aren’t yokels. These are men at the top of their professions chortling.

    And NOW is silent. Pelosi, not faking tears. Napolitano, no file on these guys.

    Sick.

  44. I’m not going to pretend to understand that string of non sequiturs, but I’m not defending any particular individual. I’m defending the idea that a story’s newsworthiness does not depend on whether or not you like or agree with the person being reported about.

  47. It’s not a blog war, at least not yet.

    The Daily Caller is “… a 24-hour news site providing original reporting from an experienced
    team of professional reporters, thought-provoking commentary and
    breaking news.    ”  That’s from their “About Us” page, found at the very bottom of the main page.

    I suppose if Jim Treacher takes up the gauntlet, and defends this action on his blog at The Daily Caller, it might be considered a blog war. 

    Or if other bloggers jump in on the side of Tucker Carlson, probably so.

    But right now, this is just a bunch of bloggers chastising a self-identified news outlet for their outrageous behavior.

  49. Non sequiturs, eh?  Coming from a man who claims news is not news, that’s an amazing display of cognitive dissonance.

    I’m defending the idea that a story’s newsworthiness does not depend on
    whether or not you like or agree with the person being reported about.

    Stacy made that point.  I did not.  I pointed out that the level of news here, as posted on The Daily Caller, appears to be right down there with stories from the World Daily News about Bat Boy sightings.   

    This story has all the feel of being deliberately slanted simply for drawing hits, not unlike publishing the picture of a murder victim being hauled out of a shallow grave to increase circulation.  I could almost hear the tee hees while reading the article.

    So, if you’re going to refer to this as “news worthy”, I suggest that there are better adjectives than “wombshifter” to use in a headline.  That one is better suited in the advertisements for an XXX porn flick. 

  50. Mr. Treacher, perhaps you can cite me an example, but I cannot recall previously encountering a news story that almost exclusively quoted a single source making vile comments about someone.

    How was the reader to know why the story is “news”? What was newsworthy about simply listing off Tyson’s comments?

    If a random bum on the street made the same comments, presumably that wouldn’t be news, but when Mike Tyson says disgusting things about a political figure, it’s relevant and newsworthy – why, because he’s a infamous scumbag with no political relevance, instead of an unknown scumbag with no political relevance?

    I’m confused.

Comments are closed.