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In reply to the discussion: The Inside Story of Matt Taibbi's Departure From First Look Media [View all]Cha
(296,780 posts)157. "Matt Taibbi Is Out at First Look Media and That’s a Good Thing (Updated x2)"
snip//
"Update 2 10.30.14: Alex Pareene, whom Taibbi brought in as his executive editor, is indirectly pissing all over the crew of The Intercept for pissing all over his former colleague. More than that, hes eviscerating Pierre Omidyar. All of it comes by way of an official response to the Intercept piece:
Working with Matt Taibbi was one of the best experiences of my career and Id be thrilled to have the opportunity to do so again. From my perspective, the management of First Look Media repeatedly took incidents that shouldve been minor hiccups of the sort experienced at any media company or startup and, through incompetence, escalated them into full-blown crises. Having worked closely with Matt since he hired me, I witnessed no behavior on his part that I would characterize as abusive, and his hostility was reserved for his superiors, not his subordinates. He certainly was no more combative than any number of other editors Ive worked with, including Intercept editor-in-chief John Cook. I also categorically reject the allegation that there was a gendered component to his managerial issues. We were successfully working to address those issues when First Look once again stepped in to fuck things up. I regret that the world wont get a chance to see Matt Taibbis Racket.
Adding: Youve gotta love that this is the first interesting story The Intercept has published.
Bottom line: First Look Media is a fucking disaster. But its admittedly kind of fun to watch this absurd soap opera. Also, if I were Taibbi Id have hired a lawyer by now to take on whats being written about him. Maybe its true, maybe it isnt but its pretty defamatory.
http://thedailybanter.com/2014/10/matt-taibbi-first-look-media-thats-good-thing/
Oh, and..
The 4 Questions Glenn Greenwald and Pierre Omidyar Still Havent Answered
snip//
Pando Daily writers Paul Carr, Mark Ames and Yasha Levine have asked Greenwald to state whether he will hold Omidyar to the same standards he holds everyone else to, particularly given the fact his new boss supported going after journalists who leak documents from private companies. Back in 2009, Omidyar tweeted this after TechCrunch published leaked documents from Twitter:
To summarize, here are the questions Omidyar and Greenwald have yet to answer:
1. Will Greenwald accept that theres a conflict of interest in entering into a business partnership with Omidyar whose existing business is in an alleged partnership with the NSA?
2. If so, will Greenwald release any and all documents pertaining to PayPals collaboration with the NSA, if they do indeed exist?
3. Are there any contractual agreements with Omidyar about the release of the remaining NSA files and NewCo? Will Omidyar and Greenwald publish them for the public to see?
4. Will Greenwald pledge to cover any potentially corrupt Omidyars business practices and hold him and his NSA collaborating business to the same standards he has everyone else?
Greenwald is an expert at applying ludicrously high standards of transparency and accountability to anyone he chooses to focus his laser-like attentions on. When it comes to himself, not so much evidently.
"Greenwald has repeatedly mocked criticisms aimed at his new organizations apparent conflicts of interest, stating that all journalists make money and all media organizations have wealthy owners. This is true, but its also a lawyerly trick to deflect attention away from himself and not answer any questions"
http://thedailybanter.com/2013/12/why-wikileaks-doesn/
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The Inside Story of Matt Taibbi's Departure From First Look Media [View all]
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
OP
Clearly, you did not read the article. Matt comes out looking far better than
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#2
My read of the article is that The Intercept could succeed because Omidyar
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#57
How the hell do you know this? The article also states that they wrote a joint letter
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#122
Um, those were the allegations from one staffer. Allegations are not proof
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#14
Well put. All of these folks are worshipped by a certain segment of DU. That will not survive this
stevenleser
Oct 2014
#42
Well, he was downgraded based on them, so what's up with that? This is not a good article for
MADem
Oct 2014
#55
Greenwald is making no such allegations. A STAFFER DID and the accusations were investigated
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#76
You have it precisely backwards. If they were trying to portray Taibbi as the bad man
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#89
So why is Greenwald taking time out from world-saving to 'report' on office gossip?
randome
Oct 2014
#150
The article tells us what Matt has to say. I saw no smear in the article, if I did I would be the
sabrina 1
Oct 2014
#154
Please read the article. Posts based on mere assumptions about what articles say
JDPriestly
Nov 2014
#201
Interesting. That is my general impression of his approach to journalism in a nutshell.
stevenleser
Oct 2014
#11
Yep. L.A. posted the link below. Seen in the context of what frazzled wrote, it reads as a fake
stevenleser
Oct 2014
#35
I found the article, It is a hoot and very insightful into the character of both Clark
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#26
See my #35 above. From your reports it's pretty obvious what Taibbi seems to be about. nt
stevenleser
Oct 2014
#36
MohRokTah, aka Functioning Cog, aka Pretzel Warrior deserves more than to be ignored. nt
Electric Monk
Oct 2014
#24
It's amazing how many people don't realize that one of the most powerful people in Congress
MADem
Oct 2014
#161
I thought that was a fair question and wonder if that poster consistently applies
LawDeeDah
Oct 2014
#191
I think if you research Taibbi's history with The eXile, it may give some insight
stevenleser
Oct 2014
#16
Well, I hate to defend any of this bunch because I think all of their practices are questionable...
stevenleser
Oct 2014
#27
"they could be mean, sexist, drunk, stoned". Sounds an awful lot like FOX, nt
adirondacker
Oct 2014
#82
Greenwald isn't an employee anymore. I find that telling that he and Poitras became
MADem
Oct 2014
#20
You have no clue either--so stop pretending you do. I don't think I am the only one who
MADem
Oct 2014
#119
Greenwald, when he signed on to the Guardian insisted that, in part, his work be reader supported
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#153
I hope independents also don't have non disclosure or non disparage agreements.
LawDeeDah
Oct 2014
#80
I wouldn't be surprised if Taibbi didn't care, or found a way to have a surrogate tell his story.
MADem
Oct 2014
#147
Yep, I knew it. See this other OP, Taibbi created a hostile environ for a female employee
stevenleser
Oct 2014
#66
This is looking more and more like tabloid stuff going on over at 'First Look'
Raine1967
Oct 2014
#100
"He might as well say his anarchist group disbanded because he tried to schedule too many meetings."
randome
Oct 2014
#25
What's with all the people posting here who apparently didn't actually read the article?
Hissyspit
Oct 2014
#175
Because it's not an article, it's a press release to get their story out first
Blue_Tires
Oct 2014
#186
DU better remember those four names at the top throwing Taibbi under the bus
Blue_Tires
Oct 2014
#29
Don't hold your breath, and don't expect anyone to tell you of your good judgment when
MADem
Oct 2014
#33
Um no, they are reporting the events as they happened... I notice that you did not
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#43
Yeah--"None of us witnessed it, but that didn't stop us from gleefully reporting the accusations in
MADem
Oct 2014
#52
And if they hadn't reported it and some other publication had, you would have bashed
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#62
This is an ARTFULLY constructed piece--it purports to show "both sides" but it doesn't.
MADem
Oct 2014
#71
You are the one who is painting Taibbi as a miserable sexist pig. That is a characterization
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#75
In my OP. He's not calling John Cook an asshole. John Cook is the Editor-in-chief of
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#108
When Taibbi speaks, we'll know. The New Yorker is calling his departure "abrupt."
MADem
Oct 2014
#113
The article asks Taibbi to respond to a "When did you stop beating your wife?" type charge.
MADem
Oct 2014
#123
Yes. The usual gaggle sees it as a hit piece. And apparently the usual gaggle
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#137
That's a cheap shot, you know. Anyone who doesn't agree with you is a "usual gaggle" of some sort.
MADem
Oct 2014
#142
Really. Where did you get fired? It's not in the article. The article clearly states he walked
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#143
I read between the lines. We'll know what the deal was when Taibbi speaks--and he hasn't, yet.
MADem
Oct 2014
#146
"Gaggle"? You mean like the Tiger Beat crowd? Could they not be considered a "usual gaggle"?
Tarheel_Dem
Nov 2014
#232
Um no,they selectively reported on The Intercept's article. They drew conclusions not
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#151
From my point of view, it is Omidyar who comes off as a shit head and I stated that
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#96
A lot of people are weighing in on this matter-- reporters on twitter, plus there are a lot
MADem
Oct 2014
#168
It does seem like a death match over there--I think the Racket franchise might be in trouble.
MADem
Oct 2014
#179
The article calls Matt an abusive, sexist angry flake who was regarded as too volatile to manage the
MADem
Oct 2014
#49
No the article does not CALL Matt anything. They are REPORTING the accusations.
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#51
No--they are CALLING him those things. How can they "report" what they haven't seen?
MADem
Oct 2014
#77
You expected otherwise? With Matt gone, the entire division was at risk of closure.
Luminous Animal
Oct 2014
#125
Bwah-hah when a Patron buys stuff, he expects his knickknacks to sit prettily on the shelf!1
UTUSN
Oct 2014
#105
No, it hasn't--and no one is telling you to not read the writers you have listed. Not one person.
MADem
Oct 2014
#178
You indicated that you were being constrained from accomplishing an action, when that was not
MADem
Nov 2014
#200
I'm sure we will. This article was a preemptive strike. The first blow in the battle.
LawDeeDah
Oct 2014
#120
"These simmering problems came to a head this month when a Racket staffer complained
Cha
Oct 2014
#156
Be funny as hell if Snowden turned out to be an NSA 'asset,' along with Greenwald.
MADem
Oct 2014
#165
I'll cite it all I damn well please, mr authoritarian.. I trust that source a hellava lot more
Cha
Nov 2014
#211
I've been routinely checking the "First Look" site for as long as it has been up.
Vinca
Oct 2014
#172
First Look staffers finally admit Omidyar massively interfered with editorial
Blue_Tires
Oct 2014
#176
Hire free spirited, fearless, outspoken truthtellers, and then try to control what they say and do.
Zorra
Oct 2014
#183
The Giant, Ridiculous Soap Opera That Is Matt Taibbi’s Departure from First Look Media
Blue_Tires
Oct 2014
#188
Slugfest Over Taibbi Exodus From First Look Fails to Address Editorial Meddling Doubts
Blue_Tires
Oct 2014
#189
Crawling from the wreckage: Looks like Pierre Omidyar drove his fancy $250 million blog empire into
Blue_Tires
Oct 2014
#190
And there are a few articles calling out this Greenwald et. al. opus as a hit piece.
MADem
Nov 2014
#210
Pando has been posting nothing but hit pieces about First Look for quite a while.
Hissyspit
Nov 2014
#212
Does anybody still want to believe Glenn Greenwald is still some kind of renegade outsider?
Blue_Tires
Nov 2014
#216
Anybody who really got suspicious would wonder if he's some kind of ... well ... asset.
MADem
Nov 2014
#223
"I know for a fact that Greenwald will tell lies -- knowing, demonstrable falsehoods-- to blacken.."
Tarheel_Dem
Nov 2014
#234