Breitbart seems to be facing more issues after posting an unflattering article about the site’s editor-at large, Ben Shapiro, Monday morning, March 14. This article came after Shapiro and reporter Michelle Fields resigned Sunday night. The resignations came in the midst of an assault controversy involving Fields and Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.
One of the issues that Breitbart faces is that the article was deleted shortly after being published. As Politico reports, the article – which was captured before it was deleted – begins by saying:
“Former Breitbart News editor-at-large Ben Shapiro announced Sunday evening via left-wing Buzzfeed that he is abandoning Andrew Breitbart’s lifelong best friend, widow, hand-picked management team and friends in pursuit of an elusive contributorship at the Fox News Channel. It was business as usual for the ambitious conservative gadfly, who is known to live on the edge, courting and then leaving a series of companies over the past several years.”
On the surface, that sounds like some bitterness coming through. Shapiro claims that he was never looking for a job at Fox News. One of the other issues is that Shapiro claims that the article was posted under his father’s pseudonym, William Bigelow. Politico also reports that:
“According to the younger Shapiro, his father was hired under the pseudonym to protect his safety since the younger Shapiro said he received so many death threats for his writings.”
The younger Shapiro reportedly said of this move:
“The fact they would use my father’s pseudonym in order to attack me just exposes how despicable they are.”
It should be noted that at this point, Breitbart’s President and CEO of Endeavor Strategies, Kurt Bardella, reporter Michelle Fields, and Ben Shapiro and his father have all resigned at this point.
Both Fields and Shapiro reportedly resigned because:
“…both felt the site was choosing to defend Donald Trump over their own reporter following an incident on Tuesday when Fields said she was forcibly grabbed by Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.”
Lastly, Politico also reports that:
“In a statement, Breitbart News Editor-at-Large and In-House Counsel Joel B. Pollak said the article was written in jest.” “The article was written by me as part of an effort to make light of a significant company event, and was published as a result of a misunderstanding without going through the normal editorial channels,” Pollak said. “I apologize to Michelle Fields, my friend Ben Shapiro, and to everyone concerned.”
It seems that Breitbart is making the same type of lame excuses as the candidate they support. How fitting.
h/t to Politico
Watch as Michelle Fields and Ben Shapiro explain why they resigned.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohzYeSfz5Bc&w=853&h=480]
