The Washington Examiner’s Salena Zito is a journalist who, unlike most of the MSM, actually talks to Trump supporters and listens to what they have to say.
And because of that, she’s a frequent target of the Resistance.
Some folks on the web and Twitter are stating or implying that my colleague Salena Zito just makes up her interviews. I don't want to give oxygen to smears, so I'll just say this: The charges are wrong and shameful. Salena is doing great reporting in this crisis check it out…
— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) April 28, 2020
She's interviewed two governors in recent weeks, a Democrat and a Republican: https://t.co/6J5aIqCTVW https://t.co/Rf6DZu04Bz
— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) April 28, 2020
She's interview small businessmen to describe their travails in this crisis https://t.co/PXzLHnMKOH https://t.co/cr8pKOaZD4
— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) April 28, 2020
…and she reported from the protest in Harrisburg, doing her best to get interviews and photos from at least 6 feet away. https://t.co/JXGb5ym4ls
— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) April 28, 2020
Salena does good work. I was commentary editor for 3 years. I dropped multiple columnists who weren't working out. She's great.
— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) April 28, 2020
The Bulwark in particular seems to be obsessed with taking her down for the crime of not spitting on Trump supporters. And Bethany Mandel, no Trump apologist by any stretch, is among the many people sick and tired of the Bulwark’s bizarre crusade against Zito. Earlier today, she organized her thoughts into a thread.
Do yourselves a favor and read it:
A few thoughts on the latest attacks on Salena Zito: Yesterday a friend was dogpiled for asking the identity of one of the accounts behind the effort. He was accused of trying to "doxx" the person behind it.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
So let me get this straight: You are entitled to destroy the life, reputation and career of a good woman from behind a keyboard, and you should be allowed to do it while remaining anonymous? I'm sorry. That's not how life works.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
Here's why I want to know who's behind it: Because I have suspected it for the last two (?) years. A year or so ago some folks finally figured out Brandt's identity. We were deciding what to do with the information when, realizing what was coming, he outed himself.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
He is now officially on the Bulwark payroll. "Now" and "officially" are the keywords I'd like you to pay attention to there.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
I’m far from the only one who has had suspicions about who is behind these accounts. https://t.co/QyUHQipHfP
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
They have been very honest about their mission https://t.co/uyzaS5U9vL pic.twitter.com/bngrmC4rqb
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
Here's the pitch to donors: There's this writer who humanizes Trump voters, she gives them voice, she makes excuses for the disgusting views of those knuckle-draggers. We want to destroy her, and we need your help to do it.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
We want to create an army of accounts to pick through everything she writes, to craft a narrative that she's a liar and a fraud. They will create a dossier of her offenses & make it appear like there's a critical mass of concerned citizens "discovering" "errors & irregularities"
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
We figured out the identity of one of these online assassins, and we'll gather evidence on the rest, too. Because you're bad actors and you're getting sloppy.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
A few folks have asked how they can help. Here are two suggestions:
1) Counter their narrative about Salena. They are picking apart her writing and finding errors where there are none. Push back on their false assumptions.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
2) Track the accounts behind the attacks. Look for similar language between these accounts and the ones who are public. Look for patterns of speech, etc. Look at any identifying information that may be posted and pick out any irregularities. Gloves are off, my friends.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
You will come to regret having a guy help run this who admits to the Atlantic that no one else would ever employ him. Because he’s right but also that’s an inside thought.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
I’ve had two of these DMs so I’ll answer this question publicly. pic.twitter.com/sLwMJhvVur
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
A few reasons: her professional affiliation w/ a despised publication is first. Second: she’s not a Trump supporter BUT she gives voice to those who are in a way they cannot possibly understand. Third: She’s exceedingly nice. She won’t call anyone behind this an adulterous liar.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) April 28, 2020
Because Zito, unlike the Bulwark’s Conservers of Conservatism, isn’t a garbage person.
That army of Brandtish sockpuppets is a very small number of bitter losers. A couple years ago, they made fun of my daughter for being in the hospital for a week with a life-threatening condition. Loathsome, cowardly scumbags.
— jon gabriel (@exjon) April 28, 2020
Honestly, the Bulwark’s beef with Salena Zito all boils down to one thing:
Great thread, Bethany. I also think they hate her because she goes into the field, works really hard getting real news, thus putting the lazy you-know-whats to shame. They never leave their cozy computerized offices because they KNOW everything already & everybody else is wrong.
— Nancy Hirst (@GreatGramGreen) April 28, 2020
She’s the journalist they’ll never be.
.@SalenaZito's detractors are jealous of competence, let alone excellence. Keep up the great work, SZ!
— jon gabriel (@exjon) April 28, 2020
Amen.
Count me as part of Team Zito. I'll defend her all day every day.
— Quin Hillyer (@QuinHillyer) April 28, 2020
Co-sign.
— Terry Teachout (@TerryTeachout1) April 28, 2020