Dear Jeffrey Goldberg: You’re a Coward and a Disgrace to the Field of Journalism

One day, there will be people who will have the guts not to cave to the supposed “power” of the social media mob. But today was not that day. Kevin Williamson, formerly of National Review, is now formally of The Atlantic, after that gutless wonder, Jeffrey Goldberg fired Williamson following a tidal wave of left-wing hysteria.

The reason? Goldberg apparently was triggered by Williamson’s strong view on abortion. Williamson, never one to mince words, believes abortion is like any other homicide: The taking of another life and said he thinks abortion should be a crime like that of murder. What happens to people who get convicted of murder? Some get the death penalty. Williamson also said he believes as a nation, we’re desensitized to the death penalty via the more antiseptic method of lethal injection and said since it is a violent act by the United States against a citizen, it should be violent.

Is that a provocative point of view? Yes. Is it an incendiary point of view? Sure.

So what?

There are thousands of articles in Kevin Williamson’s archives and that simpering fool, Goldberg, decided a tweet and an 8-minute discussion on a podcast about abortion and the death penalty was enough for him to lose his job. For all of the talent and interesting material, Williamson brought to The Atlantic, the editor of the publication didn’t dare to stand up to the whiny, crying, blubbering, titty-baby social justice warriors and say, “Run along, kids. He’s staying.”

There is a scene from All The President’s Men in which Woodward and Bernstein screwed up, claiming Hugh Sloan Jr. said H.R. “Bob” Haldeman “…was one of five high-ranking presidential associates authorized to approve payments from a secret Nixon campaign cash fund, according to federal investigators and accounts of sworn testimony before the Watergate grand jury.” While it was true Haldeman was one of the five, and it was confirmed by Sloan, he never said it to the grand jury. Ben Bradlee’s response after getting pressure to throw his reporters to the wolves, showed the editing staff a note that said, “We stand by our story.”

Bradlee then said, “F*ck it. Let’s stand by the boys.”

That’s what real editors do. 

Williamson did not concoct stories like Stephen Glass. He did not plagiarize like Benny Johnson. It wasn’t found that he was secretly writing for a white supremacist publication (though many of the crybabies who called for his termination would say that about National Review).

The precedent Jeffrey Goldberg set should literally frighten people. The social media outrage mob managed to scare off the editor of one of the most well-respected magazines owned in part by the widow of a multi-billionaire after just several days of complaints. It was Media Matters and that coked up lying fraud, David Brock who today established that he, not Jeffrey Goldberg, retains control of the editorial content of The Atlantic. 

Kevin Williamson needed his editor to stand up for him. He needed Goldberg to say to the rest of the staff, “F*ck it. Let’s stand by Kevin.”

He chose instead, to surrender. Like a coward. Like a punk.

He’s a disgrace to The Atlantic and a disgrace to journalism and to the legacy of the all of the brave writers and journalists over the years, who put their reputations on the line by being honest with readers knowing when the shit hit the fan, their editors would back them up.

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