NY Times writer Farhad Manjoo published an editorial column on Wednesday titled “Never Tweet.” Manjoo suggests that journalists who can’t control their emotions should sign off of Twitter – or post less and lurk more in the aftermath of the Covington Catholic students video hoax scandal.
For those of you who aren’t familiar, Hollywood liberals, celebrities, and many journalists called for a group of Catholic school students to be killed or severely injured after the students were accused of mocking an elderly Native Indian.
A video uploaded to Twitter.com by a fake Twitter account mislead Twitter users by claiming the students were harassing Nathan Phillips, who turned out to be a professional protester.
‘I had every right to stand there’: #Covington Catholic student says he has nothing to apologize for https://t.co/zzV3thDrzI pic.twitter.com/8iJZ4iRVWN
— RT (@RT_com) January 23, 2019
After the story was proven to be a hoax, many journalists quietly deleted their tweets. But one journo – a writer for Vulture.com – was fired for urging others to kill the students.
READ ALSO: Journalist Fired for Saying Covington Students Should Be Killed
Manjoo suggested that journalists should leave Twitter, or at least post less and lurk more.
“You don’t have to quit totally — that’s impossible in today’s news business. Instead, post less, lurk more,” Manjoo writes.
In his column, Manjoo admits he was once addicted to the micro-blogging network.
“I began pulling back last year — not because I’m morally superior to other journalists but because I worried I was weaker.
“For a journalist, flying above that fray requires intense intestinal fortitude. Twitter, I realized, was sapping all my time and energy, and sooner or later, I knew I would screw up royally. Deep down, I suspect many others worry about the same.”
Manjoo suggested other journalists should pull back to preserve what’s left of journalistic standards in America.
“Twitter will ruin us, and we should stop.”
Illustration by Irina_Strelnikova/ Getty Image
