It has been quite revealing how incurious the mainstream media can become when it is a Democrat at the center of a scandal. The Katie Hill story has many of the expected elements of journalistic hackery; initial avoidance of the story, creating explanations for the guilty, avoiding the actual wrongdoing at all cost, and detailing how conservative attention on the actions is the real story.
After our partner site RedState broke the story of the California congresswoman who was discovered to be having affairs with staff members, in violation of House ethics rules, the media has been outraged. At Jennifer VanLaar, and at RedState.
Yesterday we detailed how Jill Filipovic wants federal investigations into RedState and is declaring they reveal their source for the photos and texts proving Hill’s affairs. Today the media is in full support of the disgraced congresswoman.
It is a marvel of just how wretched the media complex in this country has become, and we have Katie Hill to thank. On her timeline she has linked to all of the media outlets that have declared the woman, who quit due to obvious ethics violations for preying on her younger subordinate staff member, is actually a “victim”.
Katie Hill's resignation is a travesty. This is not what justice looks like | Nathan Robinson https://t.co/wlwzcdJy2A
— The Guardian (@guardian) October 29, 2019
Katie Hill is the first millennial lawmaker to resign because of nudes. She won't be the last https://t.co/4xbRa67S1I
— TIME (@TIME) October 29, 2019
This is just amazing obliviousness. She did not resign “because of nudes”. Her nudes (which were not shown by RedState, mind you) were posted on a wife-swapping dating website. By herself.
"This is a form of technological domestic violence in some ways."
– Professor Christina Greer says Rep. Katie Hill’s resignation was prompted by the distribution of what Hill calls "revenge porn." https://t.co/fEg0aOaLB5
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 29, 2019
She was guilty of sexual harassment in the workplace, in only one way — it was proven.
.@chrislhayes on the implications of Rep. Katie Hill's resignation:
“There’s going to be a generation of politicians where there are thousands of images around. We’re going to have to decide as a society if we’re going to let that be a permanent source of blackmail…” pic.twitter.com/5D9jt0Bbiz
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) October 29, 2019
Now she was “blackmailed”. Not proven guilty, mind you.
Former Rep. Katie Hill's defenders say it wasn't the alleged affairs that brought her down. It was revenge porn. https://t.co/sQRa9q1EFR
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) October 29, 2019
Oh, the people on her side said that? Well, must be the truth then — if you are a journalistic outlet looking to defend her. I mean, why would you go and do something crazy, like investigate the facts in the story???
New: Sen. Kamala Harris told me she believes Rep. Katie Hill is a victim of "cyber exploitation" and called the release of intimate photos of Hill "harassment."https://t.co/MprY59N6Pq
— Molly Hensley-Clancy (@mollyhc) October 28, 2019
Pulling up the highschool yearbooks of Brett Kavanaugh and unverified testimony of opponents was not exploitation, correct? The difference between the two, of course, is that Katie Hill’s issues were provable.
Hill was the victim of a crime, but she’s the only person being punished. https://t.co/dNmqZMGGyS
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) October 28, 2019
She preyed on a younger staff member. Remember when you were saying that behavior was unacceptable? Now today the attacker is the “victim”.
Then perhaps the best hot take was this, from The Independent.
Opinion: Katie Hill wasn't held accountable for her actions. She was thrown on a pyre for the benefit of men https://t.co/mni5eZ6yrg
— The Independent (@Independent) October 28, 2019
That is just magnificent. Her own actions led to her downfall. But no, that cannot be the case! It has to be men!
A female congresswoman in an affair with a female staffer was chased out by the female Speaker due to an article written by a female — to make men happy.
Allow me to man-splain how idiotic this hot take is… https://t.co/kzJpSijmu2— Brad Slager: Straight to DVD is Cis-Norm ? ??? (@MartiniShark) October 29, 2019
Guaranteed this week is only going to become more bizarre. And I think we can start laying odds today on what the chances are that the next Democratic Party debate will have someone promoting the need for “Revenge porn legislation”.
I’ll open those bets at 15-1, likely to drop soon.
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