Huffington Post Removes Post Asking For Glenn Beck Sex Tape

by Jon Bershad | 8:33 pm, August 30th, 2010

» 28 comments

Earlier today, a post promising to pay $100,000 for a Glenn Beck sex tape was published on the Huffington Post. Was this the work of a crazed fan who got just a bit too worked up over the Restoring Honor rally? No, it was actually a bit of misguided satire from Beau Friedlander, the former editor in chief of Air America. Huffington Post editors reviewed the post and it was removed a few hours after it appeared, replaced by an editor’s note and an apology from Friedlander.

The post was intended to parody the previous requests by the likes of Andrew Breitbart for career damaging material like the JournoList emails. However, the reaction wasn’t exactly the knowing chuckles that Friedlander expected. The Observer spoke to Friedlander and he told them that he received death threats and has also lost his posting privileges on the site.

From the Observer:
“Friedlander, the former editor-in-chief of Air America and a contributor to the Huffington Post since 2009, said he ‘understands’ why the site pulled the story, but admitted that he’s ‘bummed’ they decided to remove it. ‘They took it down because they had several editors look at it and they weren’t completely comfortable with what it said,’ Friedlander explained. ‘As a blogger for the Huffington Post, it feel like a scarlet letter on my shirt.’

He added that as of this morning he had the ability to post directly to the site, but after editors removed the post he discovered that this priviledge had been revoked. ‘Now I have to be reviewed, which kind of blows,’ Friedlander said.”

Whether or not you think the joke was crude, nasty, or just plain unfunny, it was probably destined to fail for a number of reasons. While Friedlander was likely trying to make a statement about conservative tactics in general, the tactic he was specifically parodying is most frequently likened to Breitbart and is one he hasn’t used in a couple months. To use it on Beck just makes it seem like a random, spiteful attack on someone who’s in the news right now and not the prank it was intended to be.

Satire definitely has a place in political discourse and, yes, it can sometimes get crude, but if people can’t really tell that you’re making a joke or who you’re making fun of, chances are its not going to work. Huffington Post probably made the right choice in taking it down, something Friedlander probably agrees with.

Andrew Breitbart, Beau Friedlander, Glenn Beck, Huffington Post

NORBIT

Do you all see the degenerate slime that makes up the Democratic Party today?

Compare the tone and speakers at Beck’s Rally to those at Tawana’s – WHO ARE THE TRUE RACISTS & WHERE IS THE HATE COMING FROM?

Keep the pressure on these Phony Race-Hustlers; THEIR Media has been propagandizing for them for the last 50 years, but they no longer control the message!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephen-Hogan/179500970 Stephen Hogan

NORBIT said:
Do you all see the degenerate slime that makes up the Democratic Party today?

I didn’t know that HuffPo was the Democratic party.

One of the biggest complaints I have about HuffPo is the overt sexual nature of a lot of their posts. That, and the Living section. It makes this scientist cry inside.
MistyKnight

How weird, I read and fanned that post!! It was funny.
ImRubberYoureGlue

Stephen Hogan said:
I didn’t know that HuffPo was the Democratic party.

Well, then you learned something new today.
Big Eddie

The Michael and Zsa Zsa Huffington Post has standards ?
Greg

Good job Huffingtonpost… If only all online Media were as responsible…
Greg

Stephen Hogan said:
I didn’t know that HuffPo was the Democratic party.

One of the biggest complaints I have about HuffPo is the overt sexual nature of a lot of their posts. That, and the Living section. It makes this scientist cry inside.

Would not mind it if they excised the style and entertainment sections…
shootfromthehip

HuffPo is lame.

I prefer the real news and insightful writing to be found at Crooks&Liars and, yes, cons, Daily Kos.
chucken

Here is what was heard on the Glenn Beck sex tape.When the rockets were about to go off for Beck he kept shouting “Oh Me” Oh Me” Oh My Me”!!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Larry-Kelly/1464519149 Larry Kelly

satire my foot. Mr. Air-America was serious and now come desperate excuses.
CosmosDan

NORBIT said:
Do you all see the degenerate slime that makes up the Democratic Party today?

Compare the tone and speakers at Beck’s Rally to those at Tawana’s – WHO ARE THE TRUE RACISTS & WHERE IS THE HATE COMING FROM?

Keep the pressure on these Phony Race-Hustlers; THEIR Media has been propagandizing for them for the last 50 years, but they no longer control the message!!!!

This post wins the irony award for the thread.
CosmosDan

chucken said:
Here is what was heard on the Glenn Beck sex tape.When the rockets were about to go off for Beck he kept shouting “Oh Me” Oh Me” Oh My Me”!!!

okay that’s not very nice, but it was funny.
http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

CosmosDan, do you think Beck shouts “Oh God!”?

I’m tempted to attempt a joke of my own, but my critique of Beck would only be diminished for it. I think that’s one point that Huffington Post was making. There’s a place for this sort of thing, and when Beck claims that he’s giving up his slave ship, however far the anology to Captain Newton that is, I think he should be given the space to grow ethically. If Beck stops lying and stick with his own stated principles, then I can get my life back and enjoy the Giants, the Jets, the Knicks, the Nuggets and of course my beloved Orange.

I’m accused on The Glenn Beck Review of seeking fame, but I’d really like to get my life back. This is a time consuming hobby, fact-checking Mr. Beck. Very, very few bloggers make any real income from their blogs, and I’m certainly not going to become one. For now, I’m giving Beck the space to turn a new leaf. I’m hoping Beck’s sermon inspired Glenn Beck to become an honest man and an honest commentator of our world. I’m not betting on getting my fan-hood back any time soon.

http://www.sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/2010/08/is-glenn-beck-turning-over-new-leaf.html
http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

shootfromthehip says: “I prefer the real news and insightful writing to be found at Crooks&Liars”

I took C & L to task yesterday for making utterly baseless claims against Mr. Beck and his rally yesterday. I followed that up with a Facebook message to the blog owner pointing out that accusing Beck of taking his Rally money or claiming that Palin was going to get paid was baseless and false. (THe latter info came from Mediaite. Thank you. Keep up your work here.) John then accepted my friendship on Facebook, so I think he appreciated my criticism of that post.

If Crooks and Liars makes baseless, false claims, who can you trust? I need to see if that story has a correction. brb
http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

No, there’s no Update on the story:

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/grifter-glenn-beck-thanks-god-600000-donat

My comment is way down toward the bottom, but I’m not the only one calling the author out.
CosmosDan

GlennBeckReview said:
CosmosDan, do you think Beck shouts “Oh God!”?

I’m tempted to attempt a joke of my own, but my critique of Beck would only be diminished for it. I think that’s one point that Huffington Post was making. There’s a place for this sort of thing, and when Beck claims that he’s giving up his slave ship, however far the anology to Captain Newton that is, I think he should be given the space to grow ethically. If Beck stops lying and stick with his own stated principles, then I can get my life back and enjoy the Giants, the Jets, the Knicks, the Nuggets and of course my beloved Orange.

I’m accused on The Glenn Beck Review of seeking fame, but I’d really like to get my life back. This is a time consuming hobby, fact-checking Mr. Beck. Very, very few bloggers make any real income from their blogs, and I’m certainly not going to become one. For now, I’m giving Beck the space to turn a new leaf. I’m hoping Beck’s sermon inspired Glenn Beck to become an honest man and an honest commentator of our world. I’m not betting on getting my fan-hood back any time soon.

http://www.sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/2010/08/is-glenn-beck-turning-over-new-leaf.html

Went to the site and read the article and listened to the audio clip. Really appreciate the work you are doing. We need people who care about the truth and decency. I’ll be watching Beck myself to see if his tone and method have changed. He seemed pretty reasonable in the audio clip.
http://none pyrope

Stephen Hogan said:
I didn’t know that HuffPo was the Democratic party.

Uh, do ya think they’re Republicans? If you do, I’ve got some realestate you might be interested in.
alamo2

NORBIT said:
Do you all see the degenerate slime that makes up the Democratic Party today? Compare the tone and speakers at Beck’s Rally to those at Tawana’s – WHO ARE THE TRUE RACISTS & WHERE IS THE HATE COMING FROM? Keep the pressure on these Phony Race-Hustlers; THEIR Media has been propagandizing for them for the last 50 years, but they no longer control the message!!!!

Yeah, this post certainly is ironical, isn’t it? Compare the tone of this post to the speakers at Beck’s rally….
sarainitaly

“The post was intended to parody the previous requests by the likes of Andrew Breitbart for career damaging material like the JournoList emails.”

Breitbart started that searching for video proof to prove/disprove the smears that were lobbed at Tea Partiers…to clear their name, and prove whether the MSM was totally lying or not!

That’s a little different.
http://www.nukethefridge.com MartiniShark

Once again it comes from the left — an implication that someone should have their speech stifled, or removed from the airwaves. Ariana herself once said the right to free speech should be limited with regards to Beck. Not sure how you would selectively apply such, but there you go.
http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

sarainitaly says: “Breitbart started that searching for video proof to prove/disprove the smears that were lobbed at Tea Partiers…to clear their name, and prove whether the MSM was totally lying or not!”

How’d that work out? Oh, right; Breitbart is a pathological liar utterly devoid of credibility.

Martini Shark: Beck can say what he wants, when and where he wants. That Fox allows a host who lies and deceives in only more proof that Fox is not a news network by any stretch of the word news or journalism.

That people take this rodeo clown/messenger of God seriously is sad but not surprising. Hell, 20% or so of Americans don’t believe in evolution, so it’s not surprising to see so many people caught up by the gifted huckster.
CosmosDan

alamo2 said:
Yeah, this post certainly is ironical, isn’t it? Compare the tone of this post to the speakers at Beck’s rally….

Why? What point are you trying to make?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephen-Hogan/179500970 Stephen Hogan

pyrope said:
Uh, do ya think they’re Republicans? If you do, I’ve got some realestate you might be interested in.

It’s a media outlet, not a political party. It runs entirely to the left, sure, but it’s not the Democratic party. HuffPo is the Democratic party in the same way that Drudge Report is the Republican party.

If you’re talking about that bridge in New York, I have it on good authority that my current proposal has been approved.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Tony-Westover/1496648721 Tony Westover

I didn’t know Glynnis worked for the Huffington Post
http://none pyrope

pyrope said:
Uh, do ya think they’re Republicans? If you do, I’ve got some realestate you might be interested in.

OK, then let’s try this: Do you think HuffPo and Airhead Amerika were “conservative” media????? Have you ever seen ANYTHING on these (or almost ANY other media source) that lauded conservatism? (Half-hearted conditional and left-handed compliments do NOT count.)
http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

Here you go: Beck’s lies during his “restoring honor” speech:
http://www.sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/2010/08/during-his-speech-to-restore-honor-beck.html

Truth? What truth?
Integrity? What integrity?
Honor? What honor?
http://none pyrope

GlennBeckReview said:
Truth? What truth?
Integrity? What integrity?
Honor? What honor?

If a person does not own these qualities in their own lives, it is impossible to see them elsewhere.
http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

Pyrope,

I wouldn’t go that direction. I think Beck’s followers are emotionally attached to this rodeo clown/messenger of God. Thus, they aren’t’ thinking critically. They can’t see the deceit or hypocrisy in Beck. On my site, they dismiss his lies even on Saturday’s infamous speech.