Picasso’s “Women of Algiers (Version O)” made news earlier this week by selling at auction for a record-breaking $179.4 million, and it continued to make news today on the grounds that the “sexually sick minds” at Fox News had censored the painting in the network’s coverage.
Leading the charge was Jerry Saltz, senior art critic for New York magazine.
How sexually sick are conservatives & Fox News? They blurred parts of the Picasso painting. #SickMinds pic.twitter.com/5PGw5h5iBs
— Jerry Saltz (@jerrysaltz) May 13, 2015
Saltz’ tweet inspired pieces like, “This Is What Classic Pieces of Art Would Look Like if the Prudes at Fox Had Their Way” in Mother Jones and a brief article at Daily Kos which incorporated an excerpt from the Sydney Morning Herald referencing Twitter’s #freethenipple hashtag campaign.
Unfortunately, Saltz apparently saw some real censorship on Fox 5, New York City’s network affiliate, and attributed the blurring to all conservatives and to the Fox News Network.
You can have "FOX5NY" staring you right in the face and just completely ignore that because lol Fox News amirite pic.twitter.com/StUbPtG5Wk
— John Tabin (@johntabin) May 14, 2015
Those “sexually sick” conservatives watching the cable news network and not Channel 5 in New York saw nipples aplenty.
https://twitter.com/lachlan/status/598947495587270656
@lachlan @jerrysaltz trigger warning, please
— John Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) May 14, 2015
@lachlan @jerrysaltz The Picasso artwork in question is rife with microaggressions against pretty much everyone alive
— Brian Perry (@anonyguy) May 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/TexasJew/status/598954536326209536
@lachlan So, you're saying @jerrysaltz is just another dishonest liberal. Huh? It would be newsworthy to hear of an honest lib.
— William Keane (@largebill68) May 14, 2015
Recommended
it takes some balls for the leftist media to accuse a local fox station of censorship @rednblack_250 @johntabin @BoschFawstin @MotherJones
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) May 14, 2015
.@motherjones as you are totally anti-censorship, please refer us all to the issue in which you published the Charlie Hebdo cartoons
— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) May 14, 2015
To its credit, Mother Jones appended a correction to its piece noting that “it was a Fox affiliate in New York” that had blurred the Picasso and not Fox News. But Ace asks a good question.
1, FoxNews actually showed this uncensored;
2, where is the New Yorker's publication of the Charlie cartoons? @jerrysaltz— Ursus, Director of Weather and Banana Programming (@AceofSpadesHQ) May 14, 2015
While waiting for an answer, we’ll have to settle for Take 2 from Saltz.
Hey genius, that's a local news channel (hence the "FOX5" logo), not the Fox News Network. @jerrysaltz @FOXTV
— Alex S. (@Alex_94706) May 14, 2015
@jerrysaltz @FOXTV Something tells me this one won't get as many RTs as your factually incorrect one.
— Jessica Heddings (@JessicaHeddings) May 14, 2015
@jerrysaltz @FOXTV You realize this is a local station and not the evil @FoxNews right? Or maybe you don't? Or maybe you don't care?
— NoOneOfConsequence (@StarDogCh4mpion) May 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/RodrigoLopez03/status/598964821212733441
https://twitter.com/Warden_AoS/status/598986618985443328
@jerrysaltz @FOXTV You might not be smart.https://t.co/n5P0gKJqCG
— Andy Keetch (@KeetchTX) May 14, 2015
* * *
Update:
Joining Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald in picking up Saltz’s mistaken tweet is the U.K. Independent, which refers consistently and exclusively to Fox News, apparently unaware of the concept of a network affiliate.
Saudi-style censorship: 'Sexually sick' Fox News covers up breasts and genitals in Pablo Picasso's Women of Algiers http://t.co/y67ohAl1Iq
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) May 14, 2015
Linking to this example of “Saudi-style censorship” is Mona Eltahawy, who proudly spray-painted over anti-jihad posters in the New York subway, explaining that her actions weren’t censorship but rather “freedom of expression on top of freedom of expression.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member