Greenwald on the "wisdom" of Bernie advisers deleting tweets, so they're not taken out of context

[Talking Tom]

Glenn Greenwald, who once deleted 27,000 tweets of his own, said:

Under those circumstances, it shouldn’t be hard to understand why people joining the Sanders campaign – in an environment filled with unethical journalists with extreme anti-Sanders animus such as Dovere and Rupar – would want to delete their old tweets to prevent distortions of this type. Whatever else is true, tweet deletions are certainly not evidence of any wrongdoing by Sirota.

Indeed, to understand the justifiability and wisdom of deleting old tweets, consider what Vox writer Aaron Rupar did this week to Briahna Joy Gray when it was announced that Gray was leaving the Intercept to become the Press Secretary for Sanders’ campaigns (that happened on the same day Dovere smeared Sirota). Rupar spent that day digging through Gray’s old tweets to find anything incriminating that he could get his hands on in order to ruin her reputation before she even started her job as Sanders’ Press Secretary.

Rupar’s most viral, damaging tweet about Gray ended up being an outright falsehood: that Gray, during the 2016 election, had endorsed the theory that the DNC hack was really an “insider job.”

Greenwald did not mention the fact that Sirota tweeted attacks on Hillary Clinton the day before the 2016 elections, or the famous tweet where Briahna Joy Gray vowing to vote for Jill Stein.

We wouldn't know about these in important facts without access to their old tweets.

https://theintercept.com/2019/03/23/the-crux-of-the-accusations-against-david-sirota-from-the-atlantics-edward-isaac-dovere-is-false/

[Beakybird]

1. The context being that they had no integrity nor ever had.

[MineralMan]

2. The Greenwald Principle: "If You Delete It, You Didn't Say It!"

Glenn has followed that principle and recommends it, apparently.

You go, Glenn! Far away go, please!

[dalton99a]

4. Delete it, and it becomes fake news. An old Kremlin practice

Cut the guy out of the photo, and he never existed

Black out the article, and it was never written

[ehrnst]

3. The Intercept's editorial process includes omitting details that don't support their spin.(nt)

[MineralMan]

5. Wow! That's the same thing Fox News does.

Not the same details, though.

[ehrnst]

9. A classic was when they tried to spin Randall Woodfin's win being due to being a "Bernie populist"

POPULISTS ARE ON THE MARCH IN THE SOUTH: BERNIE-BACKED INSURGENT RANDALL WOODFIN DEFEATS BIRMINGHAM’S INCUMBENT MAYOR

Randall Woodfin defeated the incumbent mayor of Birmingham, a blow to the establishment and a win for Our Revolution, Bernie Sanders's campaign group.

Then this:

Woodfin backed Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primary, making the Our Revolution backing something of a wound-healing exercise.

They left out the tiny little detail that not only did Woodfin "back" Hillary, he was the Georgia State Director for Hillary for America. Of course the fact that Woodfin was mentored by Hillary and supported her policies and candidacy so much as to be a senior staffer, doesn't support their claim that his mayoral win (in a deep blue district) was a "blow to the establishment" and a win for "Our Revolution."

[MineralMan]

10. The Intercept has never been too concerned with accuracy.

It's not actually an outlet for ethical journalism. Its bias is clear, just as Fox's bias is clear. It's just not the same bias.

Finding unbiased reporting isn't all that difficult. It doesn't take sides, and simply reports news that actually happened. Too many people mistake opinion pieces and editorial writing for reporting. They are not the same.

[ehrnst]

13. Not to mention that many people of color were insulted by the claim the Intercept and others made

that but for Bernie and OR, this very qualifed, law degreed, national campaign experienced, charismatic, former community organizer in Birmingham, black Democratic candidate would never had been able to get elected mayor in this deep blue, African American majority city in the South where he was born and raised.

I think that's it's clear that the Intercept is to those on the left who hate the Democratic party, what FoxNews is to Republicans.

[MineralMan]

15. Not to mention many, many things, first among which is Glenn

Greenwald and his Manichean machinations. If he reads this, perhaps he'll recognize that word.

[joshcryer]

6. Christ, that was hardly Joy Gray's worst Tweet.

What a joke.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. Meh. The same people who thought David Brock was a great American are now outraged.

?itemid=5149737

[Snotcicles]

8. Yeah someone is on a mission. nt

[Autumn]

11. Again. nt

[SFnomad]

14. It's always odd to see Republicans and BS supporters vilifying the same people

Last edited Sat Mar 23, 2019, 12:53 PM - Edit history (1)

But it's something they've been doing for a long time now

[comradebillyboy]

16. Ain't it the truth.

[LongtimeAZDem]

17. It used to be odd; now it's de rigueur

[dalton99a]

19. No shit.

[peggysue2]

23. Strange, no?

Gives that Horseshoe Theory a decided kick in credibility.

[betsuni]

46. They both have fictional versions of those same people.

I still haven't found out why they think David Brock is so terrible. They say so and that's that. Odd.

[SFnomad]

48. Brock was an ally of Secretary Clinton and after the first few Primaries had completed

Brock laid into BS and his supporters pretty good .... they've never forgiven him for it.

[betsuni]

49. It's annoying when DU members are accused of being Brock's paid shills.

We're "Brockbots." Nutty.

[Cha]

58. And, greenwald called us

"Obamabots" back in the day.

Like that was a bad thing.

[betsuni]

59. If you hate Democrats, it is!

[Cha]

61. Pragmatic Obots Unite!

Shooting down firebaggers & teabaggers one truth at a time...

http://pragmaticobotsunite2018.com/

[Cha]

54. Oh, don't I know it.

[Cha]

51. WHATABOUTDAVIDBROCK!!

[betsuni]

52. Our boss!

[Cha]

53. He's the Boss!

[betsuni]

56. And nobody, ever, has thought of Brock as a "great American."

Everybody knows he did really shitty things as a Republican and has spent the last couple of decades trying to atone.

[Cha]

57. Brock has more than atoned

with his MediaMatters.

https://www.mediamatters.org/blog

[ehrnst]

67. But... "evolving" is always bad!

Unless it's a particular career politician doing the evolving.

Everyone else is "inconstant" and "suspect."

[ehrnst]

66. .....

[LongtimeAZDem]

18. Greenwald said that deleting texts makes you a coward

Link to tweet

[dalton99a]

20. Well, well

But the autodeleter did it!

[LongtimeAZDem]

21. Yep. Again, from Orwell's 1984:

'It exists!' he cried.

'No,' said O'Brien.

He stepped across the room. There was a memory hole in the opposite wall. O'Brien lifted the grating. Unseen, the frail slip of paper was whirling away on the current of warm air; it was vanishing in a flash of flame. O'Brien turned away from the wall.

'Ashes,' he said. 'Not even identifiable ashes. Dust. It does not exist. It never existed.'

'But it did exist! It does exist! It exists in memory. I remember it. You remember it.'

'I do not remember it,' said O'Brien.

[dalton99a]

22. Perfect!

[Talking Tom]

26. +1

Screenshot before he deletes it.

[LongtimeAZDem]

27. Already done

[floppyboo]

24. Really hard to not take the bait, but come on guys. This is not unique

to just the people you don't like. Examples would probably get me banned. So - perhaps chill. You are now making a Democratic nominee for President complicit. At least Sanders was never a Republican.

[Talking Tom]

25. How many journalists have deleted old tweets?

And how many have not deleted them?

[floppyboo]

30. How many angels can dance on the end of a pin?

[Talking Tom]

32. You won't say how frequent the practice is

Is it because almost no journalist does it?

[revmclaren]

38. No ethical journalist would have to...

ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond.

[LongtimeAZDem]

28. That nominee became complicit when he hired his speechwriter.

[floppyboo]

29. complicit in a big nothing burger

its not a unique case - neither to delete tweets, or to have worked for another team.

[LongtimeAZDem]

31. We each must decide if integrity matters; you and I clearly disagree on it

Whataboutism doesn't work for me.

[floppyboo]

35. I think integrity is a relative and subjective term

so pretty sure we don't agree. It's not whataboutism. Its about paper tigers. If integrity was a black and white thing, I might agree with you. I am a pragmatist. Omission and silence can be the right course of action.

[Talking Tom]

33. Do you agree with Greenwald that deleters are cowards?

Link to tweet

?s=21

[floppyboo]

34. I don't click on tweets.

[LongtimeAZDem]

36. How convenient

[Talking Tom]

40. He doesn't click on images

Or links.

[Cha]

62. Advantage LongtmeAZDem!

[Cha]

63. This is who David Sirota is..

Link to tweet

Sanders Promised Civility but Hired Twitter Attack Dog - The Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/03/sanders-promised-civility-hired-twitter-attack-dog/585259/

This has nothing to do with BS never being "a republican".

[still_one]

64. He cannot run away from that. Thanks

[Cha]

65. You're welcome, still_one. Sirota owns a chunk o trump..

Link to tweet

The Hatemongering really worked.

Second, a lot of Bernie Sanders supporters weren’t big fans of Clinton. So Stein campaigning on the idea that Clinton and Trump were similar made it harder for Clinton to win over those voters — even if Sanders voters didn’t vote for Stein, they may have stayed home out of disgust.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/jill-stein-democratic-spoiler-or-scapegoat/

I know you know this.. just posting again for those who may have missed it.

[backtoblue]

37. Welcome to DU

[Talking Tom]

41. Translation: "I didn't like your post"

Thanks. Now please tell me if you agree or disagree with Greenwald:

Link to tweet

[backtoblue]

44. You are new. I welcomed you

[Snotcicles]

45. That's not the correct translation. nt

[Power 2 the People]

39. He shouldn't have deleted them. If they are taken out of context have the courage to

explain that when and if you are asked. It's ridiculous to delete 20K tweets or emails and think it won't give the wrong impression and ultimately harm your candidate. Stupid move.

[NastyRiffraff]

42. All I needed to know that this is nonsense

is that it's Greenwald. He's made a career of writing bullshit.

[betsuni]

47. Greenwald talking about unethical journalists.

[Cha]

60. Glenn Greenwald tells Russians liberals are only blaming them in order to excuse Hillary's failure

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Blue_true]

50. Sprinkle some salt on Greenwald. He has turned himself into a pretzel. nt

[still_one]

55. and even worse than that, appointing advisors who voted for Jill Stein in the 2016 General Election.

I will support every Democratic candidate running in the primaries but two