Slate

Investor's Business Daily: Media Blackout of FitzGibbon Sex Harassment Scandal Shows Double Standard
By Tom Blumer | December 23, 2015 | 8:59 PM EST

On Monday, I posted on the virtually complete lack of establishment press interest in the story of Trevor FitzGibbon, the former owner of far-left PR firm FitzGibbon Media. Fitzgibbon folded on Thursday after allegations of serial sexual harassment and sexual assault were reported in the Huffington Post. From there, the establishment press did virtually nothing with the story.

It will surprise no regular reader that non-coverage is still the norm. Searches this evening at the Associated Press's main national site and at the New York Times returned nothing and no recent stories, respectively. While I'm also sure deliberate refusal to cover an obviously relevant story doesn't surprise the editorial board at Investor's Business Daily, it has infuriated them enough to write a stinging editorial justifiably decrying the situation — especially the press's double standard.

Press Yawns As Univ. of Louisville Advertises Asst. Prof Position For Blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans Only
By Tom Blumer | December 21, 2015 | 10:55 PM EST

Did you hear about the university which advertised for "a tenure-track Assistant Professor position that will be filled by a White American or Asian American"? Of course you didn't, because it didn't happen. But it's not difficult to imagine the outrage which would justifiably ensue if such an ad were ever placed.

Well, last week it became widely known that the University of Louisville placed an ad for a "tenure-track Assistant Professor position" which specified the racial/ethnic makeup of who would be considered eligible. It was removed after appearing for almost two months. Thanks to the wonders of Google cache, readers can see the relevant portion below (HT Progressives Today):

'A Uniquely Despised Group': Slate on the Trans 'Gender Apostates'
By Sarah Stites | December 21, 2015 | 12:49 PM EST

Who do the members of the transgender community hate even more than “cis bigots”? According to a recent article in Slate, that would be the trans folks who actually think that gender aligns with biological reality. 

Salon Pundit: Americans With ‘Violent Desires’ Might Get ‘Inspiration’ to Attack From ‘A Republican Presidential Debate’
By Tom Johnson | December 6, 2015 | 12:17 PM EST

In a column posted last Monday, two days before the San Bernardino massacre, Heather Digby Parton warned of Americans with “violent desires” who might find “inspiration” to stage mass-casualty attacks not in jihadist propaganda, but in rhetoric used during “a Republican presidential debate.”

Parton linked the fatal shootings at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs to remarks by GOP presidential candidates and declared that those politicians “should have paused before they…exploited [the Planned Parenthood sting videos] for political gain. After all, gory illustrations of dismemberment and mutilation are the propaganda stock in trade of our most hated enemies. They are considered the gold standard for terrorist recruitment. You would think mainstream American politicians would think twice about going down that road…But they don’t.”

Slate Rejoices in Christian Player Daniel Murphy’s Poor World Series Play, Saying 'It Felt Like Justice'
By Dylan Gwinn | November 4, 2015 | 9:33 PM EST

The Jesus-hate is strong in this one. Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern took to the internets in the wake of the Mets loss to the Royals in the World Series to not only saddle the Metropolitans outspoken Christian player Daniel Murphy with blame for the loss, but to actually rejoice in it as well.

Bloggers Blast GOP Presidential Candidates' Media Criticism: ‘Reality Has a Bias Toward Journalists’
By Tom Johnson | October 29, 2015 | 5:38 PM EDT

Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio put media bias on the front burner at CNBC’s Republican presidential debate, but conservatives and liberals differed sharply on whether what was in the pot smelled appetizing. Several lefty bloggers turned up their noses at the idea that in last night’s event and in general, the media favor Democrats.

Bloggers On Hillary Benghazi Hearing: Republicans ‘Stuck in Their Own Bubble’ Produce ‘Soft Porn For Conservative Activists’
By Tom Johnson | October 23, 2015 | 2:50 PM EDT

Since even some conservatives thought that Hillary Clinton won Thursday’s Benghazi hearing, it stands to reason that lefty bloggers would be happy with the way things turned out.

In fact, not all of them waited until the hearing was over. Early in the afternoon, when Clinton still had several hours of testimony before her, Talking Points Memo editor and publisher Josh Marshall observed that “Hillary…looks poised; [Republicans are] radiating spittle.” As the hearings rounded third and headed for home, Esquire’s Charles Pierce sniped, “This was a performance piece for the people residing within the conservative media bubble…who already are too smart to be fooled by the Hildebeast and her alleged facts because Mark Levin has told them that they are too smart to be so fooled."

Slate Blames Manmade Warming for Recently Rising Seas, Even Though It’s Been Happening for Centuries
By Michael Greibrok | September 2, 2015 | 11:31 AM EDT

The seas are rising and Sandy-like storm surges are going to be a “new normal,” according to Slate.

Slate’s Bad Astronomy writer Phil Plait highlighted a NASA study that showed a rise in sea levels since 1992 in his Aug. 31 article. Repeated the fears of many climate alarmists, he blamed that rise on global warming and warned, “[w]e’ll see beaches disappear, coastlines changed.”

Slate Makes Great Case in Favor of Right to Bear Arms
By P.J. Gladnick | August 4, 2015 | 8:38 PM EDT

An online magazine has made a terrific case in favor of the right to bear arms. Was it an NRA publication? Nope. Perhaps one of the conservative magazines such as National Review or American Spectator? Nope. The magazine was actually Slate. Slate? Yes, liberal Slate magazine has published an article making one of the strongest cases in favor of the right of citizens to bear arms that I have seen in a long time.

The strong defense of the Second Amendment came in a speculative Slate article about what would have happened if Germany had attempted to invade the United States during World War II. Author John Mixon correctly pointed out that this would have been an incredibly bad idea. Among the reasons he listed was the fact that Germany had no forward bases in North America from which to launch such an invasion. Also the German supply lines would have been ridiculously long and could easily be cut off. On top of that, the Wehrmacht was already tied down battling on the Eastern Front. However, the final reason that Mixon gives for why such an attempted German invasion would have failed miserably is one that is sure to upset liberals:

Slate Writer: Planned Parenthood's Actions Are 'Commendable,' Abortion Is An 'Act of Altruism'
By Connor Williams | July 31, 2015 | 11:44 AM EDT

In a recent piece for Slate, Mark Joseph Stern argued that videos released showing Planned Parenthood to be trafficking fetal body parts gives him hope. Is it the possible defunding of the ‘reproductive health’ organization that gives him hope, you might ask? Nope. Stern opined: “The graphic images of aborted fetuses are meant to disgust me, to convince me that abortion is a barbaric act of killing. But I don’t see death in these videos. I see hope.” Later in the piece, after outlining the supposed medical benefits, he claimed abortion “is not an act of killing. It is an act of altruism.”

Boy Scouts Allow Gay Leaders; Slate Cheers ‘Huge Step Forward’
By Sarah Stites | July 28, 2015 | 2:18 PM EDT

On July 27, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) voted to change their policy regarding gay leaders. Slate’s Mike DeSocio called the change “a huge step forward.”

In an effort to satisfy both conservatives and progressives with a stake in the BSA, the organization will no longer ban gay leaders at the national level, but will allow local troops to choose their own leaders. In this way, churches that sponsor troops can have a say in the moral integrity of the leaders selected.

Marcotte: Credit Rise in Teen Abstinence to Anything but Abstinence
By Tory McClintock | July 27, 2015 | 3:44 PM EDT

Slate writer Amanda Marcotte claimed this week that a drop in the number of teens having sex is the result of encouraging teens to use birth control and engage in sexual behavior. Meanwhile, she posited, education encouraging abstinence couldn't possibly, ever, in a zillion years, have anything to do with it.