The Washington Post faced some fairly bipartisan backlash Tuesday that had nothing to do with reporting from contributors like Jennifer Rubin and Taylor Lorenz, but was instead centered around their pitch to grow their stable of reporters “to explore the dark continent…of Texas.”
Evidently, The Post has been on a hiring spree and its public relations team was actively promoting the various opportunities at the Jeff Bezos-owned publication, including demand for reporters based in California, London, and Seoul. None of the tweeted postings had near as much interaction as the open spot for a reporter in Texas.
The full-time position that has been active for five days is seeking “a seasoned journalist who will unearth revelatory stories about a part of the country that is governed largely by one political party.”
“The Washington Post is looking for an enterprising reporter based in Texas to document life in red-state America and develop a new beat mapping the culture, public policies and politics in a region shaped by conservative ideology,” the job description explained.
“We want a reporter who is a graceful writer and can deliver both intimate personal stories and high-elevation pieces that illuminate the forces driving political polarization,” it stated, lacking any self-awareness.
Along with many noting that they should have included, “must be a Harvard graduate” in the post, there were quite a few predictions as to how this reporter was going to operate once hired.
Right?! Penning a thousand pieces about how Texas is flipping blue
— Charles Zim (@Charles_Zim) April 12, 2022
…They don't care about the stories being good or accurate.
— Kaiser Sousa (@Kaiser_Sousa_01) April 13, 2022
Just submitted my application and cover letter. pic.twitter.com/hNgjHLyBBc
— T (@NonModernFamily) April 12, 2022
One elaborate response included a screenshot of a cover letter daring the publication to hire someone other than a “left-wing journo major” who will “pump out ideologically-approved periodicals about racism, sexism, transphobia, etc.”
However, in order to do that, The Post would have to acknowledge that Texas is not the foreign country they appear to be portraying it as, like the former director of communications for President Donald Trump Erin Perrine stated.
“This posting legit acts like Texas is a different country because it is a ‘region shaped by conservative ideology’ and is a red state. This tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the Washington Post,” Perrine wrote in a sentiment shared by others.
The WaPo is hiring a reporter to explore the dark continent of Texas and return with tales of native savagery and conservative violence to amuse their readers in DC. https://t.co/r89GSgbxit pic.twitter.com/KRxaYu5SZa
— Mike Glenn (@mrglenn) April 12, 2022
CBS Sports writer Shehan Jeyarajah added that the post was “writing the job listing like you’re covering the Gobi Desert.”
Reaching a diverse audience, The Post also managed to offend Texas Democrats with their job board who felt they were being marginalized by the media outlet.
Or you could tell the real story of Texas. That we are a diverse state not being represented by the legislators that have held us hostage via voter suppression and gerrymandering
— Squirrely Girl (@Kviggie) April 12, 2022
Welp, gonna cancel my subscription. You constantly talk about red states and the people in there. How about talking about how those policies impact the poor, women, minorities, and such – the ones that are adversely impacted because the rich don’t give a fuck about them?
— Geekin’ In Michigan (@cerrdwyn2) April 12, 2022
Texas IS NOT a “red state” and we are OPPRESSED by conservative ideology, not shaped by it.
— Robert Sherer (@lakusfs) April 12, 2022
While those on the left came to grips with their identity, Noah Pollak from the Washington Free Beacon may have covered it best when he likened the post to science fiction:
“Texas, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Washington Post,” he tweeted. “Its mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no Journo has gone before.”
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Northeast PA with his fiancé and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
- Steve Hilton says Dems will use midterm blue wall to ‘green light’ their radical agenda… and that’s ok - November 9, 2022
- ABC points to Latinos being fooled by ‘disinformation’ to explain DeSantis, GOP success in South Florida - November 9, 2022
- ‘There is an alternative’: Trump backs Rick Scott as a ‘much better’ GOP Senate leader than McConnell - November 9, 2022
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
