Here’s the story so far: On Saturday night, President Trump called out The Washington Post’s Dave Weigel for tweeting a photo of a half-empty arena in Pensacola, Fla., where Trump appeared Friday night. Weigel deleted the tweet after learning the photo was taken well before the well-attended event began and apologized to the president in a reply to his tweet.
We’d thought the drama would have ended there, but in a follow-up tweet, the president called on Weigel to be fired. That obviously upset a lot of journalists, but it inspired CNN’s Brian Stelter to tweet this:
https://twitter.com/AndySwan/status/939648852377919488
By including Dave Weigel’s @ handle, the president’s statement is inviting followers to gang up on a reporter https://t.co/3C5jKDvFP5
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 9, 2017
Area man figures out Twitter.
— 100 Proof (@ChampionCapua) December 9, 2017
That is pretty much how Twitter works, but perhaps the news media could avoid exactly this scenario by not rushing to post fake news.
How about getting facts right?
— ?It's?Almost ⛄️Christmas? (@jtLOL) December 9, 2017
Yes because that’s the problem here, not reporting #FakeNews ?#MAGA https://t.co/UNRvwDy6IP
— Americana Prime (@Americana_Prime) December 9, 2017
Then Weigel should not post a picture of a half empty arena and put in quotes "to the rafters." https://t.co/51dJucUDSL
— Gene Chelette (@BaldEagle140) December 10, 2017
If only you could get this upset at Dave for inaccuracy, Mister Reliable Sources. https://t.co/qpZdlwILHY
— Anthony Bialy (@AnthonyBialy) December 10, 2017
Gang up? You mean scrutinize creators of fake news? https://t.co/rWwIIuZHpX
— CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) December 10, 2017
Recommended
I assume someone hacked your account. Most likely a 12 year old girl because no grown man would send this. https://t.co/TtS1spVqbr
— Chris Barron (@ChrisRBarron) December 10, 2017
Stelter is a big bald baby. https://t.co/ErOZqJxFcq
— Liz Mac (@TheLizMac) December 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/AbuNudnik/status/939637683189510144
*pearl clutching intensifies* https://t.co/5BaHyczUDu
— bropundit (@bropundit) December 9, 2017
I'll bet you were a handful in junior high school. https://t.co/88pEi42dX8
— Impeach This A**holes! ?? (@UnnaturalBlond) December 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/TheCalCoconut/status/939639536770080768
https://twitter.com/GlomarNeverDies/status/939652964830142469
Uhh, was Dave not the one who posted it? Clearly he would @ him !
? https://t.co/85NVCrqa0d— Lilly Belle (@KeepINitReal604) December 9, 2017
Note to whiny bitches of the media cartel: if you troll the President of the United States and quote tweet him, he very well may respond and blow up your mentions. Go melt, snowflakes. That is all.
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) December 10, 2017
This tweet is so stupid and deserves to be ratio'd. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to find his Twitter handle by typing his name into the search box. https://t.co/erhrGFMKBs
— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) December 9, 2017
Don’t worry kid. Twitter will ban them, so wipe your tears and chin up. https://t.co/0Ds0f2Y5By
— jason (@JasonSlusher) December 9, 2017
Twitter is the public square. If you don’t want attention called to yourself, don’t tweet. And especially don’t tweet falsehoods. https://t.co/B5d8hGcCwg
— Member of The Tribe (@HebrewToYou) December 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/HughGMcLeod/status/939639456574918656
Yes I know reporters believe they should be completely shielded from any criticism. But if you chose to participate in the public discourse you open yourself to criticism, even if it's unfair. If you are on twitter you put yourself in the arena. It was your choice. https://t.co/JUA5A6oTbs
— Micah Kellner (@MicahKellner) December 9, 2017
I think these guys are literally insane. I guess anything to keep directing attention away from all the fake news they put out 24/7. https://t.co/kw0CPNEyQp
— VA Jeeper (@kyjeeper65) December 9, 2017
You people are validating everything Trump is saying about you and what we have known for years now. You are not "Press" you are the propaganda arm of the Democrat party. You prove it every day. https://t.co/Jyx5arGXAP
— Keep Calm and Carry (@johnnyfriegas) December 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/LilMissRightie/status/939640064740642816
You guys at @CNN and MSM have been ganging up on @POTUS and his family for over a year. Deal with it. https://t.co/nXtxRKt12M
— Chris Cardillo (@cvcardillo) December 10, 2017
May I suggest that fake reporters stop ganging up on the president with daily lies. https://t.co/ZfVNg1yZlK
— Ginny Fidler ? (@KathyMschotschi) December 10, 2017
Does Brian have reliable sources on this info? Did someone describe the tweet over the phone? Would he have trusted the person if they did? https://t.co/4P0SNsih38
— Conservative (@BrownDeerRepub) December 9, 2017
Including @DaveWeigel in the tweet, he proves his point that MSM is fake news…as a sidenote Dave has me blocked, wow don't think I have ever tweeted him https://t.co/VwscaAg7Er
— LT. COL Yvonne Burton (@_YvonneBurton) December 9, 2017
Is Dave not man enough to handle it? I would advise him to stop tweeting complete bullshit and this wouldn't happen https://t.co/ROXLJLiDte
— Angela Schwan (@schwan_angela) December 9, 2017
Yeah, heaven forbid that a reporter be held accountable for once, right? https://t.co/ydKx2bpKVo
— The Fourteenth Cylon (@fourteenthcylon) December 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/UnrealElijah/status/939638991577583619
https://twitter.com/michi83/status/939639022489690113
You're a little snowflake,
short and stout.
Listen to you whine,
listen to you pout. https://t.co/WaElmZvtBn— Zuub Chudloogie (@WiFi_Ed) December 9, 2017
You’re a whiner too @brianstelter, think you would be used to the counter punches after two years of #FakeCNN getting destroyed by everyone https://t.co/obamKYGlww
— Brian Harrington (@BrainHarrington) December 9, 2017
Yeah, that's it. ?Bc w/o the @ handle, none of us would ever be able to figure out how to tag @daveweigel. "Gang up". Pretty sure Weigel can handle the notifications after his blatant falsehood. Grow up.
cc: @KurtSchlichter @ChrisRBarron @michellemalkin @redsteeze @johncardillo https://t.co/OYkLdz9QsU
— Michael (@Michael2014abc) December 9, 2017
Play stupid games, Win stupid prizes. https://t.co/xM8z0TU2HZ
— Sterls ☣️⚡️ ₿ (@MoreCredible) December 9, 2017
We've got better things to do buddy.
You guys do a bang up job of attaching the rope to the lamp post yourselves anyway. https://t.co/EA8pl280Dj
— ⚒JG Baring ⚒ (@deplorablejam) December 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/VictorConservat/status/939645498826330112
@brianstelter is the twitter policy police. Seems like he thinks reporters like @daveWeigel can simply lie and get away with it w/o being called out.
Don't want the repercussions, THEN STOP LYING https://t.co/jdpsTcAq6m— dt christensen (@sublime_carrot) December 9, 2017
You're like an annoying hall monitor https://t.co/QK4dzD0xCE
— LaurieAnn ??♂️? (@mooshakins) December 10, 2017
This, coming from someone that works for a media outlet that doxxed a private citizen over a GIF they didn't like, is pretty rich. https://t.co/wqV3oVKGj0
— R.J. Kendall ? (@RJ_Kendall) December 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/thedavidinsley/status/939644573072220160
https://twitter.com/rubentown/status/939643008714145792
I swear millennial journalists (those in their 30s) can be some of the most insufferable people on Twitter. @JamesRosenTV, @edhenry, @BretBaier @jaketapper @tvkatesnow @dmartosko etc. we're going to have to cryogenically freeze you so you can do news for us forever. PLEASE. https://t.co/OYkLdz9QsU
— Michael (@Michael2014abc) December 9, 2017
* * *
Related:
WaPo writer apologizes to President Trump for posting ‘phony photo of empty arena’
‘He should be fired’: Trump calls for journalist to be sacked over ‘phony photo’ of crowd
Join the conversation as a VIP Member