Ouch. Everyone makes mistakes, but Howard Kurtz’ slip-up today was a big one. The Daily Beast writer and CNN host had already published a post and posted a video shaming Jason Collins for coming out of the closet while failing to mention that he had been engaged to a woman. The problem is, the Sports Illustrated piece did include that rather large detail.
'@HowardKurtz @thedailybeast Dude, he mentions that he was once engaged ON THE FIRST PAGE OF THE STORY. Did you bother to read it?
— David A. Graham (@GrahamDavidA) May 1, 2013
.@HowardKurtz bashes Collins for not "coming clean" about being engaged to a woman http://t.co/pa0du551Lo
He's wrong http://t.co/ugMJk5XCdc
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) May 1, 2013
Just kill the post and apologize, Howie.
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) May 1, 2013
Hi @HowardKurtz: Next time hit "Control-F" and type in "e-n-g-a-g…" We wouldn't expect you to READ the whole thing.
— John Nolte (@NolteNC) May 1, 2013
If @HowardKurtz has any sense, he has turned off his phone, walked away from his desk, and will ignore twitter for the next hour
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) May 1, 2013
To his credit, Kurtz corrected his post and tweeted an apology — which, like most apologies, really should have stopped right before the word “but.”
Howard Kurtz pulled that awful video of him being awful about Jason Collins. But I have it. WATCH HERE: http://t.co/El43uYS8ue
— Jamison Foser (@jamisonfoser) May 1, 2013
Apologies: Jason Collins did mention his engagement in SI article. But he didn't tell the full story–his ex says she just learned he's gay
— HowardKurtz (@HowardKurtz) May 1, 2013
The Daily Caller’s Matt Lewis and others resisted the urge to pile on too gleefully.
I think it's bullshit how people are piling on Howard Kurtz. I just hope the critics and twitter bullies never make a mistake.
— Matt Lewis (@mattklewis) May 1, 2013
Not going to be too hard on @HowardKurtz. I made a similar error a couple years ago. My correction was big as Texas. Hope he does same.
— John Nolte (@NolteNC) May 1, 2013
The Huffington Post, however, went for the full nelson in its takedown of Kurtz, and not without justification. After all, the central conceit of Kurtz’ judgmental piece centered around the mistaken idea that Collins hadn’t disclosed his engagement, which he clearly had. A quick patch (changing “left out” to “downplayed”) by Kurtz not only didn’t fly far enough under the radar to go undetected; it was flat-out wrong too.
For the Matt Lewises of the world, who can't seem to understand why folks are bagging on Howard Kurtz. http://t.co/4bEh4QGZ9W
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) May 2, 2013
Howard Kurtz Is Too Bad at His Job to Effectively Shame Jason Collins http://t.co/eu4LKlZT7K
— What Matters Now (@TheAtlNews) May 1, 2013
Howard Kurtz wrote the world’s worst column on Jason Collins. http://t.co/g8l0Zztehr
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 2, 2013
Even Buzzfeed got in on the act, sending Kurtz an email which he proceeded to use as a shovel to dig himself in deeper, calling Collins’ former fiancee’s account of their relationship into question.
Howard Kurtz responds: "I hope I wasn't insensitive…it seems fair to raise questions about…his former fiancee." http://t.co/CowELcklS6
— Kate Aurthur (@KateAurthur) May 2, 2013
It’s not that self-appointed media ombudsman, @howardkurtz, is a smug prick… wait, yes it is. #tcot
— RBe (@RBPundit) May 2, 2013
@HowardKurtz Keep digging yourself deeper, it's amusing to watch.
— Chad Lind (@chadelind) May 2, 2013
Anyone else want in on this?
This is so bad even by Daily Download standards. And I've watched an embarrassing number of Daily Download videos. http://t.co/59IQt3TMtu
— McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) May 1, 2013
+1 RT @mckaycoppins: I've watched an embarrassing number of Daily Download videos, this is the worst. http://t.co/yArcjhzDAA
— andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) May 1, 2013
Hey, not so fast, you two:
- BuzzFeed still pushing bogus story about Newtown ‘hecklers’; Update: BuzzFeed digs in
- Buzzfeed reporter Andrew Kaczynski: Unlike lamebrain conservative media, Buzzfeed corrects its errors
- BuzzFeed called out on false ‘Ryan walks out on interview’ headline, Obama campaign spins
- BuzzFeed highlights attacks on Sandra Fluke with tweet targeting … Dana Loesch
- Buzzfeed offers up feeble defense of its anti-Michael Moore story; Updated
- Viral WaPo photo of ‘Gabrielle Giffords’s handwritten testimony’ actually written by her therapist
Update:
At 12:24 p.m. ET on Thursday, The Daily Beast retracted Kurtz’s post.
The Daily Beast Retracts [Howie Kurtz's] Jason Collins Blog Post http://t.co/punsEOA9dK
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) May 2, 2013
From the retraction:
The piece contained several errors, resulting in a misleading characterization of NBA player Collins and the story he co-wrote in Sports Illustrated in which the he came out as gay.
. . .
The Daily Beast sincerely regrets Kurtz’s error—and any implication that Collins attempted to hide or obscure the engagement.
