Is this what famous personalities can expect now when they proclaim their love for the First Amendment?
As Clay Travis has ridden the Trump wave to fame, many who know him well have watched with discomfort, even dismay. https://t.co/QO9ADnCJNQ
— POLITICO Magazine (@POLITICOMag) September 29, 2017
Writer Ben Strauss wanted to get to the bottom of Travis’ true alt-right identity. So, naturally, when he couldn’t find any real concrete evidence that Travis is alt-right, he just opted for the next best thing: He made it up.
This headline isn't supported by quotes from anyone who actually knows me well. Otherwise, accurate. https://t.co/5Cc7b5sPfH
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 29, 2017
Heh. At least Travis has a sense of humor about it. Which is a lot more kindness than Politico deserves.
https://twitter.com/SethAMandel/status/913786323043053573
Low is right:
Politico calling Clay Travis a "darling of the alt-right" pic.twitter.com/N2XRGbBWR2
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
Travis' producer apparently didn't say anything alt-right, so Politico decided to hallucinate that he did. pic.twitter.com/3c93LTnz69
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
Again, at this point in the piece, Politico has failed to list any of his supposed associations with the alt-right. pic.twitter.com/EuZtHa5qdj
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
So I read it all. Literally zero evidence Travis is alt-right, outside of quotes from those who don't like him. https://t.co/yK8YDxG6C5
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
This exchange in particular mystifies me. It's so poorly written, I don't even know what to make of it. 2/ https://t.co/Jo13Zi66li
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
Recommended
"by which he meant people like Jemele Hill and Mina Kimes"
Did Martin say that? Did he even mention them? If so, why not quote him? 3/
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
Because it reads a lot like Martin criticized liberals at ESPN, and Politico decided that he MUST mean Jemele Hill and Mina Kimes. 4/
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
If he did mention them, did he mention their race? Did he mention their gender? Or are you literally just assuming sexist/racist intent? 5/
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
Top it off, a quote from an ESPN insider saying that his critique of ESPN was bigoted. Okay, that's totally fair. Real objective source. 6/
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
Full disclosure: I've never read or listened to Clay Travis a day in my life. It's possible he is alt-right and spews it daily.
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
But Politico gave me literally zero reason to believe so. So simply as a work of journalism, it's a complete failure. /end
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
UPDATE: I emailed Jason Martin about this exchange. He said that he criticized several white women and men as well. https://t.co/Jo13Zi66li
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
His email: pic.twitter.com/9KfdJAmzXu
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
So to summarize:
1. Martin criticizes several liberal ESPN hosts.
2. Strauss seizes upon only two of those hosts— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
3. Strauss then points out that the two names (that HE picked) are both women of color
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
4. Strauss asks an ESPN employee about his critique of those two people, who obediently agrees that Martin's a racist.
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
5. Martin specifically praises a black woman (Sage Steele), and Strauss decides to omit that fact from his write-up about how he's a racist.
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
This is not a misunderstanding or bad reporting. This is a hit job, plain and simple.
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
Basically.
Wait, I take it back. Clay Travis MUST be alt-right. Some random commenter on his Periscope is a racist! pic.twitter.com/B3giDzhvGl
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
When you can't finish stating your thesis without even admitting why it's BS, maybe don't write the article? pic.twitter.com/JRmGUdF92G
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 29, 2017
FFS.
https://twitter.com/halemc/status/913761757637828611
https://twitter.com/WoodDan84/status/913765020466528256
https://twitter.com/hboulware/status/913788741277364225
https://twitter.com/thetoolebox/status/913766252107190272
Good question. It’s so much easier to make crap up.
By the same means you target and qualify @claytravis one could say that you’re riding the coat tails of Trump as well…
— Josh Walsh (@DmaggioArcangel) September 29, 2017
Fancy that!
Politico continues to not do research before an interview & then just sneezes their lefty agenda into an article anyways @ClayTravis
— Pluto Brown (@chemicaltoylet) September 29, 2017
This is exactly the tone-deaf, dishonest, disingenuous kind of bullshit that pushes independent thinkers further away from the media left.
— Brandon S (@Brandon_E_S) September 29, 2017
Well, looks like we can add one more to the list of "Non Reputable News Sources".
— Hunter Hamilton (@HunterHamSr) September 29, 2017
Well done, Politico. Well. Done.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated with additional text and tweets.
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