Friday, August 07, 2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Saturday, March 28, 2015
You Knew This Was Coming
British and German tabloids are claiming that the Germanwings pilot was "tormented" about being gay. From Britain's Daily Star, which has more than twice the circulation of the Guardian:
Lubitz’ relationship with his girlfriend is said to have broken down and it has been claimed that he was secretly homosexual. He was even taunted by pilot pals for previously being a “trolley dolly” airline steward and dubbed Tomato Andy – a derogatory gay slur. It also emerged the David Guetta fan enjoyed partying at a German nightclub which holds boozy, circus-themed events involving drag queens and dwarves. The lively Agostea club in Koblenz lies 20 minutes from the home he shared with his parents in the German town of Montabaur. The revelations came as German airline Lufthansa, which owns Germanwings, announced it would pay up to e50,000 “immediate financial assistance” to relatives of every victim of the horror crash.From The Mirror tabloid:
Former colleagues told how Lubitz was mercilessly taunted over his cabin crew past. He was nicknamed “Tomato Andy” because they believed he didn’t know if he was a “fruit or veg” – a reference to his sexuality. One ex-workmate said it was slang term for a “straight who was really gay”. Another added: “Everyone thought it strange that he kept on going back home to his mum and dad at weekends. "He had a nice car, a good job, and good prospects, but he seemed to spend all his time by himself.” Lubitz bought two top-of-the-range Audi cars earlier this month. One was said to be a present for himself and the other for his girlfriend. Habibalah Hassani, 53, who runs a pizza restaurant near the killer pilot’s Dusseldorf home, said he had often seen him with his lover. But neighbours in Montabaur claimed she had not been seen there recently.Rumors about the pilot's sexuality have even been picked up by the reputable Independent:
Mass-murdering Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had had a “serious relationship crisis” with his girlfriend, investigators told Germany’s Bild newspaper yesterday, and according to one report last night he split with her the day before the crash. An ex-girlfriend told Bild that Lubitz had once told her he wanted his name remembered and that he planned to go down in history by doing something to “change the whole system”. "People all over the world will know my name." Other theories concerned his sexuality. There was speculation yesterday that he may have been gay and felt forced to keep it secret, after it emerged that a male friend had sent a message to Lubitz’s personal website after the crash. It read: “We were only talking yesterday about what we would do together when you came back. You always made me smile.” It was suggested to The Independent that “Tomato Andi” was a joke gay term used to describe someone who repressed their homosexuality, a tomato being commonly referred to as a vegetable despite being a fruit. In any case, it now seems certain that Lubitz had serious psychological problems which he kept secret.Meanwhile American crackpots like Pam Geller and Jim Hoft are predictably claiming that the pilot was a recent convert to Islam.
Labels: air travel, disaster, Germany, tabloids
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Wednesday, December 03, 2014
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Mock-Up Vs Final New York Daily News
Via Mediaite:
Last night, New York Daily News Brooklyn court reporter Oren Yaniv tweeted out what appeared to the Tweetdeck passerby to be the next day’s cover of the paper, which announced “Killer Cop Goes Free." Many were displeased by such an incendiary headline, including trusty Brit Hume. Yaniv later revealed the cover was just a mock-up. It did not actually get used. This morning’s printed cover hedged its bets, telegraphing a sense of anxiety over protests rather than outrage at the decision.
Labels: Ferguson, newspapers, NYC, tabloids
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Friday, October 24, 2014
Monday, March 31, 2014
From A British Tabloid
The paper's Wiki says:
Sunday Sport is a British tabloid newspaper, published by Sport Newspapers, which was established in 1986. It prints plainly ludicrous stories, such as a double-decker London bus being found frozen in the Antarctic ice, or a World War II bomber found on the moon. Defenders of the paper pointed out that it was not intended to be taken seriously. Its controversial content also includes a high quotient of softcore female nudity and extensive advertising for sexual services.Embiggen to read the silly story. (Via JMG reader Ru)
Labels: Britain, silliness, tabloids
Friday, March 21, 2014
TMZ Headline Of The Day
Probably like many of you, I don't find the ugly details of celebrity relationship squabbles to be very interesting, but what is interesting is that gossip sites and tabloids are treating gay celebrity spats with the same vicious panting that they exhibit when reporting on straight feuds. And mostly they are doing so without leering speculation about bedroom habits or denouncements of sexual orientation. We wouldn't have seen that not too long ago.
Labels: gossip, Johnny Weir, journalism, tabloids
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Ugandan Paper Names "200 Top Homos"
A Ugandan tabloid has published the names of 200 allegedly gay citizens, putting all of these people at the risk of being murdered. Which has happened before. Via the Associated Press:
The Red Pepper tabloid published the names — and some pictures — of alleged homosexuals in a front-page story under the headline: "EXPOSED!" The list included prominent Ugandan gay activists such as Pepe Julian Onziema, who has repeatedly warned that Uganda's new anti-gay law could spark violence against homosexuals. A popular Ugandan hip-hop star as well as a Catholic priest are also on the list. Few Ugandans identify themselves publicly as gay, and the tabloid's publication of alleged homosexuals recalled a similar list published in 2011 by a now-defunct tabloid that called for the execution of gays. A Ugandan judge later condemned the outing of homosexuals in a country where gays face severe discrimination, saying it amounted to an invasion of privacy. A prominent Ugandan gay activist, David Kato, was killed after that list came out, and activists said at the time that they believed he was targeted because of his work promoting gay rights in Uganda. "The media witch hunt is back," tweeted Jacqueline Kasha, a well-known Ugandan lesbian activist who is among those listed in the Red Pepper story.As noted above, the last time a Ugandan paper did this, it was ordered to pay damages of 1.5M Ugandan shillings (about $650) to the people named and the paper went out of business. But that was before the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was signed into law. Read my coverage of the murder of Ugandan activist David Kato.
Labels: Africa, Christian Love, Christianity, disgusting, hate crimes, LGBT rights, newspapers, tabloids, Uganda, Yoweri Museveni
Friday, January 10, 2014
Thursday, January 09, 2014
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Today's New York City Tabloids
The most contentious, wacky, and weird local election I've ever known comes to a partial resolution today. Whether or not De Blasio gets out of today without a runoff, at least we can all finally say goodbye, for now, to Anthony Weiner.
Labels: 2013 elections, Anthony Weiner, NYC, tabloids


























