search
Sections List
American Journal News

The Atlantic ditches hateful far-right writer it never should have hired

Another media outlet gets burned for reaching out to the fringe.

By Eric Boehlert - April 05, 2018
Share
Kevin Williamson

In firing conservative writer Kevin Williamson — who has endorsed the idea of hanging women who have abortions — The Atlantic became the latest elite media outlet to get burned for a misguided hiring of a right-wing writer.

Insisting his hiring was done in the name of being “ideologically diverse,” The Atlantic failed to realize there remain common-sense guidelines that should apply to elevating writers. And those common-sense guidelines should mean that prestigious magazines do not hire writers who support killing tens of millions of American women.

The Williamson debacle is part of a long-running pattern where mainstream media outlets embrace and celebrate the worst parts of the conservative media in the name of inclusion.

So nervous about being tagged as the “liberal media bias” problem, editors and publishers bring aboard voices that don’t deserve the acclaim or the political cover.

Last year, the New York Times weathered extensive criticism when it hired a conservative columnist writer who seemed to belittle the idea that climate change is real. Or, as Vox put it in a succinct headline, “The New York Times should not have hired climate change bullshitter Bret Stephens.”

And recall that CNN seemed to absolutely flood its airwaves in early 2017 with a never-ending parade of Trump cheerleaders, treating his victory as some sort of seismic political earth question. When in fact Trump had just lost the popular vote.

Perhaps CNN’s most infamous pro-Trump hire, Jeffery Lord, was eventually fired after he tweeted “Sieg Heil” to an online critic.

This is also tied in to the political media’s obsession in recent years with listening to Trump voters, and profiling Trump voters, and fawning over Trump voters.

Williamson, who routinely trafficked in hateful rhetoric, was the latest and most egregious example of a right-wing writer who occupies the radical, odious fringes getting rewarded for it with a plum new job.

But on Thursday that short-lived reward expired when Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg, who previously defended the hire, announced Williamson was out because his previous work “runs contrary to The Atlantic’s tradition of respectful, well-reasoned debate, and to the values of our workplace.”

What happened? On Wednesday, Media Matters posted transcripts from a 2014 podcast Williamson had with the editor of National Review Online, Charles Cooke, in which they both endorsed the idea of hanging women who’ve had abortions.

Addressing the bizarre assertion he had previously made on Twitter, Williams said, “But yeah, so when I was talking about, I would totally go with treating it like any other crime up to and including hanging.”

Cooke quickly concurred: “I absolutely agree.”

Added Williamson, “I am absolutely willing to see abortion treated like regular homicide under the criminal code.”


AJ News
Get the latest news here first.

Tai News

Newsletter
Read More
 Republicans choose violence in bonkers day on Capitol Hill

 Republicans choose violence in bonkers day on Capitol Hill

By Jesse Valentine - November 16, 2023
Is 2024 the year of the Instagram moms?

Is 2024 the year of the Instagram moms?

By Amanda Becker, The 19th - November 15, 2023
U.S. Department of Justice to join suit against Alabama AG’s abortion prosecution threats

U.S. Department of Justice to join suit against Alabama AG’s abortion prosecution threats

By Alander Rocha - November 10, 2023
Top Republican Senate candidates are endorsed by foes of Social Security and Medicare

Top Republican Senate candidates are endorsed by foes of Social Security and Medicare

By Jesse Valentine - November 08, 2023
Most Americans want health exceptions in abortion bans. Political infighting keeps blocking them.

Most Americans want health exceptions in abortion bans. Political infighting keeps blocking them.

By Kelcie Moseley-Morris - November 07, 2023
Possible 2024 Wisconsin Senate candidate repeatedly predicted recessions that never happened

Possible 2024 Wisconsin Senate candidate repeatedly predicted recessions that never happened

By Jesse Valentine - November 02, 2023
AJ News
Latest
Florida Sen. Rick Scott backs Donald Trump in revived push to repeal Obamacare

Florida Sen. Rick Scott backs Donald Trump in revived push to repeal Obamacare

By Jesse Valentine - November 30, 2023
Tate Reeves took donations from power company that hiked customer rates

Tate Reeves took donations from power company that hiked customer rates

By Jesse Valentine - November 06, 2023
Daniel Cameron ran on depoliticizing the Kentucky AG’s office. He made it more political.

Daniel Cameron ran on depoliticizing the Kentucky AG’s office. He made it more political.

By Jesse Valentine - November 03, 2023
Republican operatives sound every alarm on current trajectory of 2023 governor’s race

Republican operatives sound every alarm on current trajectory of 2023 governor’s race

By Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today - October 24, 2023
Michigan Republican US Senate candidate Peter Meijer backed strict abortion bans

Michigan Republican US Senate candidate Peter Meijer backed strict abortion bans

By Jesse Valentine - November 30, 2023
Abortion opponents push state lawmakers to promote unproven ‘abortion reversal’

Abortion opponents push state lawmakers to promote unproven ‘abortion reversal’

By Anna Claire Vollers - November 30, 2023
Biden campaign pivots to focus on healthcare

Biden campaign pivots to focus on healthcare

By Kim Lyons - November 30, 2023
Abortion advocates submit ballot issue affirming right to terminate pregnancy in Montana

Abortion advocates submit ballot issue affirming right to terminate pregnancy in Montana

By Nicole Girten - November 27, 2023
Proposed Arkansas ballot measure would make abortion access a constitutional right

Proposed Arkansas ballot measure would make abortion access a constitutional right

By Tess Vrbin - November 27, 2023