Just days after hiring conservative opinion columnist Kevin Williamson, The Atlantic announced it was “parting ways” with him for having previously stated that abortion is the equivalent of murder and women who have them should be hanged.
The controversy being generated by an orchestrated campaign on the left, with Media Matters leading the charge, against a conservative who does not support abortion.
The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, knew of a tweet from Williamson expressing this belief prior to hiring him, but said the decision to part ways — see cave — came after a podcast surfaced of Williamson discussing his views.
In a statement to Atlantic staffers, Goldberg explained that the “callous and violent” language in the podcast “made it clear that the original tweet did, in fact, represent his carefully considered views” and was not “an impulsive, decontextualized, heat-of-the-moment post, as Kevin had explained it.”
Full memo from Atlantic editor Jeff Goldberg to staff on Kevin Williamson pic.twitter.com/8R7rtEoS5L
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) April 5, 2018
Williamson is a former deputy managing for National Review and his firing is the result of a “cowardly” Goldberg caving to the “intolerant mob,” as the conservative publication’s David French noted.
“The Atlantic has caved to the intolerant mob and fired Kevin Williamson, and in so doing has contributed to a slanderous fiction — that Kevin is so beyond the pale that he has no place at one of the nation’s premiere mainstream publications,” French wrote.
In addition to the “callous and violent” language Goldberg noted to justify the firing, he added another flimsy excuse to steer the focus away from Williamson’s stance against abortion: workplace violence.
Yes, as if Williamson makes it a habit to stalk the corridors of the office, looking to harass — perhaps string up? — women who have had abortions, who are sure to be offended over his views on the killing of unborn children.
https://twitter.com/robbysoave/status/981978511140360193
Score a victory for feminists everywhere for saving women from such an ogre, as chronicled by The Guardian’s Jessica Valenti.
“I still believe Williamson never should have been hired, but I’m so glad that @TheAtlantic is now taking this seriously. Most of all, I am very relieved for the women who work at the magazine,” the feminist columnist tweeted.
I still believe Williamson never should have been hired, but I’m so glad that @TheAtlantic is now taking this seriously. Most of all, I am very relieved for the women who work at the magazine.
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) April 5, 2018
Curtis Houck, the managing editor for Newsbusters, had an appropriate counter: “This makes it sound like Kevin Williamson was a violent sexual predator or something. My goodness.”
Naturally, he included the prerequisite #Snowflake hashtag.
This makes it sound like Kevin Williamson was a violent sexual predator or something. My goodness #Snowflake https://t.co/2ELYKp8ffU
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 5, 2018
In the end, as noted by Townhall’s Katie Pavlich, the left will never be satiated in its quest to shut down any and all dissent to progressive orthodoxy.
Highlighting a caption from a statement from the group @UltraViolet, which pushed for Willamson to be fired, Goldberg himself may end up on the chopping block.
“The Atlantic’s management, led by Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, has exhibited deep moral bankruptcy by showing that they are willing to turn a blind eye to hate speech if it means generating more clicks,” the liberal group’s statement said. “While we’re pleased Williamson has been outed, The Atlantic will not be able to wash this stain away.”
The left will never be satisfied pic.twitter.com/6eKkbECBg0
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) April 5, 2018
All of which might be the best possible outcome for the whole sordid affair, as social media users stated on Twitter:
Blood in the water. https://t.co/RgnhtseaVB
— CLA (@ConservativeLA) April 5, 2018
I will laugh forever if this ends up costing Goldberg his job too. https://t.co/mB2ouZlnrf
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) April 5, 2018
Jeffrey Goldberg should be fired from The Atlantic,: For being a sniveling coward. https://t.co/OPdYGRPByv
— Evi L. Bloggerlady (@MsEBL) April 6, 2018
You can't spell "#Feminist Activist" without "#Fascist". https://t.co/vMFxSov2ta
— (((Common Man))) (@hydar) April 6, 2018
And that is called paying the Dane-geld; But we've proved it again and again, That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld You never get rid of the Dane. https://t.co/q2mG2Twgm9
— R Herrold 🐸Ⓜ️🦠 (@herrold) April 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/KratosTrainLegs/status/982026737658691584
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Tom@bizpacreview.com
The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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