Home HuffPost’s dehumanizing treatment of, and bias against conservative women

HuffPost’s dehumanizing treatment of, and bias against conservative women

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Contents

(1) April 2008: HuffPost gave top coverage to a discredited rumor that Sen. John McCain called his wife, Cindy, a “cunt”

(2) August 2008: HuffPost called Cindy McCain “a dick”

(3) October 2010: HuffPost gave top coverage to a rumor that Republican Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell had “a one-night stand” — and evoked sympathy for the person spreading this rumor

(4) November 2016: HuffPost called incoming First Lady Melania Trump a “slut”

(5) November 2016: HuffPost ignored a radical leftist who publicly claimed that Melania Trump should be raped

(6) November 2017: HuffPost had no reaction to several mainstream journalists, and Saturday Night Live, viciously “fat shaming” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, although it routinely condemns anyone who does that to women whom it likes

(7) December 2017: HuffPost completely ignored the vulgar assault on First Lady Melania Trump by the son of President Obama’s chief strategist


Dehumanize: transitive verb; definition:

To deprive of human qualities, personality, or spirit

Arianna Huffington proclaimed repeatedly that her “newspaper” neither engages in, nor tolerates any offensive, hateful behavior:

“If you’re looking for the usual flame-throwing, name-calling, and simplistic attack dog rhetoric, don’t bother coming to the Huffington Post.”

– Arianna Huffington interview with Newsweek

“HuffPost prohibits content that is… hateful… or is otherwise inappropriate.”

– HuffPost Terms and Conditions


(1) April 2008: HuffPost gave top coverage to a discredited rumor that Sen. John McCain called his wife, Cindy, a “cunt”

Throughout 2007-2008, HuffPost consistently ran pro-Obama propaganda, while attacking his rivals with scorching hate posts, often based on lies and egregious distortions, as documented here and here.  It did this despite its insistence that it is an absolutely nonpartisan, professional “news” organization,

Then, on April 7, 2008, as Sen. John McCain was close to winning the Republican nomination for the presidency, HuffPost published this splash headline appeared on its front page:

Clicking on that news headline brought the reader to this page. Note the other “news” story to which HuffPost was giving top promotion, at the upper right:

“Report: McCain’s Temper Flare-Up, Called Wife A C*nt”

Clicking on that headline, in turn, brought the reader to this page:

Report: McCain’s Profane Tirade At His Wife, by Nick Juliano, Raw Story, Huffington Post,  April 7, 2008. Excerpt:

Three reporters from Arizona, on the condition of anonymity, also let me in on another incident involving McCain’s intemperateness. In his 1992 Senate bid, McCain was joined on the campaign trail by his wife, Cindy, as well as campaign aide Doug Cole and consultant Wes Gullett. At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain’s hair and said, “You’re getting a little thin up there.” McCain’s face reddened, and he responded, “At least I don’t plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt.”

The next day, April 9, as reported in U.S. News & World Report, Sen. McCain and his campaign vehemently denied this accusation, and claimed it was pure fiction, driven by partisan hacks:

The McCain campaign has furiously denied the reports, calling them “fabrications” and “trash.” McCain, asked during an appearance today on Fox News whether the alleged Renzi incident was true, replied, “No.” Campaign spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker told U.S. News that both stories are “untrue and driven by partisan interests and blind sources.”

In the same USN&WR article, Nico Pitney, a HuffPost “editor,” justified its publication of this completely unsubstantiated, vicious rumor:

[Pitney] told U.S. News that “we noted in our report on the book that the story was anonymously sourced; we wanted our readers to be aware of that […] As with any such reporting—whether it’s in the New York Times, a Bob Woodward book, or an account from Cliff Schecter — people have to consider the information critically and make up their own minds,” he said.

Then, a blogger looked into the “journalist” who is cited in HuffPost’s “report” as the source of this “story,” and exposed him as a partisan hack and conspiracy theorist, with no credibility.

HuffPost never published Sen. McCain’s denials — or indication as to the credibility of its “source.”  As a result, anyone who got their news only from HuffPost would be left with no alternative but to assume that: (a) the McCain campaign had never responded to the vicious allegations that it published against him, (b) the allegation against Sen. McCain is true.

HuffPost’s relentless attacks on Sen. and Cindy McCain continued unabated, until Sen. Obama won the presidency.  One “highlight” of this smear campaign occurred four months later, on August 10, 2008 when, as documented here, HuffPost called Cindy McCain “a dick” on its front page. 

HuffPost was well-rewarded for its shilling for Sen. Obama: Less than one month after the election:

  • HuffPost received $15 million in urgently-needed venture capital
  • After strenuously denying for a year that HuffPost had become, as Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign alleged, “a conveyor belt of pro-Obama propaganda,” Arianna Huffington publicly admitted:

“I only text three people – my two teenage children and Barack Obama.”

  • Huffington was invited to “testify” before the Senate on “the future of journalism”
  • HuffPost was given preferential access to the Obama White House, and became a member of the White House Correspondents’ Association

And in June 2009, Nico Pitney received his reward: being personally called on by President Obama in a press conference, in what later was later reported by Politico and the Washington Post to be “a pre-coordinated stunt.”


(2) August 2008: HuffPost called Cindy McCain “a dick”

On November 9, 2007, Arianna Huffington announced the debut of a new HuffPost feature, “Dickipedia,” which she said “looks just like Wikipedia, but it’s about the world’s biggest dicks” (screencap).  In reality, this was part of HuffPost’s ongoing effort to dedicated to mocking, smearing and humiliating anyone with whom this allegedly “nonpartisan news” organization disagreed.  “Dickipedia” was later taken down, after AOL purchased HuffPost and wanted to clean up the site (to some degree).

On August 10, 2008, HuffPost published this “news” story on its front page:

Cindy McCain Is A Dick, Huffington Post, August 10, 2008. Excerpt:

Cindy Lou Hensley McCain (born Cindy Lou Hensley on May 20, 1954) is the wife of U.S. Senator, ill-fated presidential candidate, elderly curmudgeon, and dick John McCain. She, herself, is a multi-millionaire, pill-popper—a combination sometimes referred to as a “pillionaire”—and an excellent example of why people should stop after one facelift, two max. She is also a dick.

As a potential though seriously long shot First Lady, anything and everything about Cindy McCain was seized upon and exaggerated by the media. Like her hideously plastic appearance. And the period of her life she spent zonked out on Percocet. And that she obviously has a fetish for old balls.

McCain is chair of Hensley & Co., one of the largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributors in the nation. Essentially, this makes her a legalized drug kingpin. Of course, better that than ketchup czar, but still.

Cindy McCain wishes she were Michelle Obama so bad, it gives her sweater bullets just thinking about it.

Although HuffPost later removed this “news” item, it is still retrievable through the Internet Archive, here (see bottom of page for attribution to HuffPost) — and, momentarily, on HuffPost itself, here.


(3) HuffPost gave top coverage to a completely unverified rumor that a female Republican Senate candidate had “a one-night stand” — and evoked sympathy for the man spreading this rumor

On October 28, 2010, a few days before the mid-term election, HuffPost wrote and published this original “news” story near the top of its front page:

As if that weren’t enough, rather than sympathizing with Ms. O’Donnell, HuffPost implied that the man who was spreading this rumor was being unfairly “attacked” on social media.

In the end, Ms. O’Donnell lost her bid for the Senate. There is no way to know for certain the extent to which HuffPost’s decision to help smear her on its front page, days before the election.  But given the fact that at the time, HuffPost was one of the most-read American political blogs, there can be no question that this smear had some impact.


(4) HuffPost called First Lady Melania Trump a “slut”

On November 12, 2016, HuffPost explicitly called Melania Trump a “slut” on its front page:


(5) HuffPost ignored a radical leftist who publicly claimed that Melania Trump should be raped

On November 13, 2016, one day after HuffPost called Melania Trump a “slut” on its front page, at a protest in front of the Trump Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC, a man was photographed holding up a large sign that read, “RAPE MELANIA”:

This was not a Photoshop manipulation, as it was caught captured from multiple angles:

The Washington Post covered the story on November 13:

‘Rape Melania’ sign at anti-Trump protest draws strong rebuke, sparking Twitter trend, by Callum Borchers, Washington Post, November 13, 2016. Excerpt:

Some Twitter users saw “Rape Melania” in their trending-topics boxes Sunday after images of a person holding a sign bearing the phrase during a Saturday-night demonstration in the District circulated on the social network. Photos of the chilling banner, taken at an anti-Trump rally outside the president-elect’s new hotel in the nation’s capital, drew strong condemnations from Trump supporters and opponents alike.

HuffPost’s search engine proves it completely ignored this story

A December 14, 2016 search using the string “Rape Melania” returned zero results. Instead, here is a sampling of the “news” stories that HuffPost published on its front page over the three days after the Washington Post story was published, from November 14-16:

This “news” story appeared on HuffPost’s front page on November 15, 2016.

Ashley Graham Gets Her Very Own Barbie Whose Thighs Touch

#ThankYouObama Is An Emotional Salute To Our Outgoing President

Carrie Fisher Confesses To ‘Intense’ Affair With Co-Star Harrison Ford

Michelle Obama Breaks Hearts With Final Vogue Cover As First Lady

Kids Write Messages Of Love Outside Clinton’s Headquarters


Contrast: HuffPost gave top coverage to an unknown bureaucrat who used a vulgar term to insult First Lady Michelle Obama

On November 15, 2016, HuffPost published at the top of its front page a story about a bureaucrat in a Clay, West Virginia government agency who was removed from her position after she posted an ugly insult against Mrs. Obama on Facebook:

15nov16-official-removed-for-insulting-mobama

Yet when a fanatical anti-Trump protester openly advocated that Mrs. Trump be raped, HuffPost completely ignored the incident.


January 2017 addendum: HuffPost urged more protests at Trump buildings in DC

On January 23, 2017, HuffPost featured a “news” story on its front page that heaped praise on leftists targeting another Trump building in Washington, DC as a “perfect” location for a protest.


(6) November 2017: HuffPost had no reaction to several mainstream journalists, and Saturday Night Live, viciously “fat shaming” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, although it routinely condemns anyone who does that to women whom it likes

On November 3, 2017, a number of leftist “journalists” began criticizing White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders for her weight, appearance and accent.

Liberal Columnists Attack Sarah Sanders For Her Weight, Southern Accent, by Peter Hasson, Daily Caller, November 3, 2017. Excerpt:

Two male, liberal columnists this week launched personal attacks against White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

Los Angeles Times columnist David Horsey mocked Sanders’ appearance, saying she “looks more like a slightly chunky soccer mom who organizes snacks for the kids’ games.”

“Rather than the fake eyelashes and formal dresses she puts on for news briefings, Sanders seems as if she’d be more comfortable in sweats and running shoes,” Horsey wrote on Wednesday.  […]

Then, on November 4, 2017, Saturday Night Live presented a video segment in which it picked up on the same themes, and made fun of Sanders’ appearance and weight:

SNL Hits A New Misogynistic Low – Proving Once Again How Hypocritical The Left Is, by Kimber, Chicks On The Right, November 5, 2017.


HuffPost’s search engine proves it completely ignored these incidents

A November 6, 2017 search using the string “Sarah Sanders looks more like a slightly chunky soccer mom who organizes snacks for the kids’ games” returned zero results:

Similarly, HuffPost published nothing in defense of Sanders in regards to SNL’s attack on her.  A November 6, 2017 search using the string “Sarah Sanders SNL” returned zero relevant results:


Contrast how HuffPost rises to the defense of leftist women whom it alleges have been “fat shamed,” and attacks those whom it alleges have done this

A Google search using the term “Huffington Post fat shaming” returns hundreds of results.  Similarly, a search at HuffPost using the term “fat shaming” returns many results as well.

Rather than being an isolated incident, as the other case studies on this page show, this was merely the latest in HuffPost’s egregious double-standard in terms of its alleged posture to stand up for women whom it alleges have been unfairly attacked because of their appearance, or for other issues based in misogyny.


(7) December 2017: HuffPost completely ignored the vulgar assault on First Lady Melania Trump by the son of President Obama’s chief strategist

Condensed from a story at Gateway Pundit.

On December 29, 2017, Michael Axelrod, a political consultant and son of David Axelrod, President Obama’s chief strategist, posted the following Tweet against First Lady Melania Trump, in which he (a) called her “a prostitute”, and (b) asked if she liked “golden showers” (being urinated upon):


HuffPost’s search engine proves it completely ignored this incident

A December 29, 2017 search using the string “Michael Axelrod Melania Trump prostitute” returned zero results:


Contrast HuffPost ignoring this incident, to the top publicity it gave to an local bureaucrat in W. Virginia who posted a vulgar insult against Michelle Obama when she was First Lady

On November 15, 2016, HuffPost published at the top of its front page a story about a bureaucrat in a Clay, West Virginia government agency who was removed from her position after she posted an ugly insult against Michelle Obama on Facebook:

15nov16-official-removed-for-insulting-mobama


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