This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
IRS Whistleblower Drops Hunter Biden Bombshell
An IRS agent seeking <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-whistleblower-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-misconduct" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whistleblower</a> protection claims the investigation into Hunter Biden is being deliberately mishandled by the Biden administration. In a letter yesterday, attorney Mark D. Lytle told members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate that his client has been overseeing a “high-profile, controversial” investigation since 2020 and wants to make “protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress.&#8221; White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the allegations in today’s briefing.
&#8220;The president has been very clear,&#8221; Jean-Pierre said. &#8220;This is something for the Department of Justice, which is independent, and we have been very clear since the campaign that this is something that they need to speak to and that&#8217;s why we refer you to the Department of Justice. We are just not going to speak … about it from here.&#8221;
Elon Musk&#8217;s Rocket Explodes
Elon Musk’s newest rocket, the SpaceX Starship, exploded this morning during a launch. The ship was not manned, so nobody was hurt. Musk and SpaceX say the launch was, in fact, successful because it gives the company new opportunities to learn. Starship was the tallest rocket ever built and exploded in midair after it apparently failed to separate from its “Super Heavy&#8221; Booster. The outcome wasn’t unexpected; last month, Musk gave the rocket a 50-50 chance of blowing apart. Video of the Starship launch showed the SpaceX crew cheering loudly even after the rocket exploded.
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The tallest and most powerful rocket ever built launching. The liftoff of SpaceX Starship <a href="https://t.co/meav59yVmn">pic.twitter.com/meav59yVmn</a>
&mdash; Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1649045478456295433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Buzzfeed&#8217;s News Division Explodes
BuzzFeed is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buzzfeed-news-to-shut-down-after-11-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">permanently shuttering</a> its news division as part of a cost-cutting move after the digital news site reportedly lost roughly 10 million dollars a year. A letter to employees from the CEO said: “We are reducing our workforce by approximately 15 percent today,” adding that the company will now focus its news content on the profitable “HuffPost” website.
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House Passes Women And Girls In Sports Act
The House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/zero-democrats-vote-for-house-bill-to-protect-womens-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act — sponsored by Florida GOP Congressman Greg Steube — by a narrow party-line vote of 219-203. Zero Democrats supported the bill, which would bar federal funds from going to schools and sporting organizations that allow males to compete in women’s sports.
Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, however, says that GOP characterizations of the issue are misleading.
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House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries says biological males competing on female sports teams is &quot;an issue that doesn&#39;t really exist&quot; <a href="https://t.co/9cQrnOwocv">pic.twitter.com/9cQrnOwocv</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1649068399585050627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Judge Rules Former Manhattan Prosector In Trump Case Can Be Subpoenaed
A judge <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-rules-house-gop-can-subpoena-ex-prosecutor-from-trump-probe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> on Wednesday that Congress can in fact subpoena a former Manhattan prosecutor in the indictment of former President Donald Trump. Alvin Bragg had attempted to block the subpoena of Mark Pomerantz — the prosecutor who worked extensively on Trump’s case, but left after a disagreement with Bragg. Pomerantz has since given media interviews and even written a book about the efforts to nab the former president. The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the former prosecutor earlier this month and accused Bragg and his office of acting politically in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.
Chicago Mayor-Elect Continues Excusing Rioters
Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson addressed the mob of teens who rioted in downtown Chicago last weekend again on Wednesday, doubling down on his claims that the teens should not be demonized.
&#8220;Demonizing children is wrong,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Do you understand the risks that young people take just because they are young? Do you know that the home plate is at the bottom of my stairs? I found that out when my son was sliding down those stairs trying to score! They&#8217;re young, sometimes they make silly decisions! They do! So we have to make sure that we are investing so that they know they are supported.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson doubles down on defending the rioters:
“Demonizing children is wrong!” “Sometimes they make silly decisions!” <a href="https://t.co/26IkldAWFL">pic.twitter.com/26IkldAWFL</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1648850540950966275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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To listen to the audio version of this podcast, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-wire/id1576594336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

Thursday stock photo

Thursday Afternoon Update: Hunter Biden Bombshell, Plus Elon’s Rocket Explodes And So Does Buzzfeed’s News Division

Thursday Afternoon Update: Hunter Biden Bombshell, Plus Elon's Rocket Explodes And So Does Buzzfeed's News Division

BuzzFeed

Chicago

Donald Trump

General

Hunter Biden

Morning Wire

Podcast

U.S.

BuzzFeed News is shutting down just over a decade after its 2012 launch.
BuzzFeed Inc. CEO and founder Jonah Peretti announced the closure to staff on Thursday as part of a wider plan to cut BuzzFeed staff by 15% “across our Business, Content, Tech and Admin teams.” Chief Revenue Officer Edgar Hernandez and Chief Operating Officer Christian Baesler will also be leaving.
“It might not feel this way today, but I am confident the future of digital media is ours for the taking. Our industry is hurting and ready to be reborn. We are taking great pains today, and will begin to fight our way to a bright future,” Peretti said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/BenMullin/status/1649067421766938624">memo</a> to staff.
BuzzFeed News’ closure will affect about 60 people, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/20/business/buzzfeed-news-shut-down.html">The New York Times</a>. About a dozen staffers in the news division will be offered positions at BuzzFeed.com and The Huffington Post, another of BuzzFeed’s subsidiaries.
The bulk of BuzzFeed’s reporting will now be done under The Huffington Post, a leftist outlet with “a highly engaged, loyal audience that is less dependent on social platforms,” Peretti said.
BuzzFeed has <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/shareholders-buzzfeed-nasdaq-bzfd-lost-111743541.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggled</a> to make a profit, and its news division added to the parent company&#8217;s financial woes.
“I made the decision to overinvest in BuzzFeed News because I love their work and mission so much. This made me slow to accept that the big platforms wouldn’t provide the distribution or financial support required to support premium, free journalism purpose-built for social media,” Peretti said.
“I regret that I didn’t hold the company to higher standards for profitability, to give us the buffer needed to manage through economic and industry downturns and avoid painful days like today,” he continued. “I’ve learned from these mistakes, and the team moving forward has learned from them as well.”
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BuzzFeed News won one Pulitzer prize, awarded in 2021, for its reporting on the oppression of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang province.
The news division is also well-known for being the first outlet to publish the infamous Steele Dossier that contained unfounded rumors and innuendo about former President Donald Trump. The dossier, funded by the Clinton campaign for opposition research, was used by the FBI to obtain warrants to surveil the former president’s 2016 campaign.

Jonah Peretti

BuzzFeed News To Shut Down After 11 Years

Huffington Post

Media

Steele Dossier

One digital media company is generating a great deal of buzz with a plan to feed readers with content created with the help of artificial intelligence.
A memo to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/buzzfeed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BuzzFeed</a> staff on Thursday revealed the company would soon rely on tools made by OpenAI, the creator of the ChatGPT chatbot that is taking the world by storm across multiple sectors.
BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti said &#8220;AI inspired content&#8221; will make strides toward &#8220;enhancing the quiz experience, informing our brainstorming, and personalizing our content for our audience.&#8221;
Humans will remain a part of the editorial process, Peretti assured his staff, though soon they will be able to wield computer technology to refine their work.
&#8220;Our industry will expand beyond AI-powered curation (feeds), to AI-powered creation (content),&#8221; Peretti wrote. &#8220;AI opens up a new era of creativity, where creative humans like us play a key role providing the ideas, cultural currency, inspired prompts, IP, and formats that come to life using the newest technologies.&#8221;
The Verge obtained the memo and <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/26/23572834/buzzfeed-using-ai-tools-personalize-generate-content-openai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published it in full</a>.
News of BuzzFeed&#8217;s new direction appears to have been received well on Wall Street. BuzzFeed Inc. shares jumped by about 150% after The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/buzzfeed-to-use-chatgpt-creator-openai-to-help-create-some-of-its-content-11674752660" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke the story</a>.
BuzzFeed, founded in 2006, established a space for itself on the internet with news reporting, listicles, and quizzes. But recent years have posed challenges for the company.
It took steps in 2021 to cut back on its news arm as the division was losing about $10 million a year, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/22/buzzfeed-investors-have-pushed-ceo-jonah-peretti-to-shut-down-newsroom.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNBC</a>. After merging with a special purpose acquisition company, Peretti announced in December 2022 that BuzzFeed would <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/06/buzzfeed-to-cut-12percent-of-its-workforce.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut 12% of its workforce</a>, or about 180 staffers, to &#8220;weather an economic downturn.&#8221;
ChatGPT is making all sorts of headlines these days, whether it is <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/01/26/1151499213/chatgpt-ai-education-cheating-classroom-wharton-school" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stirring fresh concerns about cheating</a> in academic institutions with computer-generated essays or being used to generate a speech read on the House floor <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/member-of-congress-reads-ai-generated-speech-on-house-floor/3263737/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advocating for a bill</a> to create a United States-Israel artificial intelligence center.
Peretti said the new BuzzFeed content would launch in February, and he would share a preview of the system during a staff meeting on Thursday.
&#8220;In publishing, AI can benefit both content creators and audiences, inspiring new ideas and inviting audience members to co-create personalized content,&#8221; Peretti wrote in a memo. &#8220;When you see this work in action it is pretty amazing.&#8221;
Some journalists shared less-than-enthused reactions to the news, suggesting the turn to artificial intelligence is an omen for the media industry. Samit Sarker, deputy managing editor of Polygon, <a href="https://twitter.com/SamitSarkar/status/1618670266594508800" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>, &#8220;a sentence to put on journalism&#8217;s tombstone if I&#8217;ve ever seen one: &#8216;BuzzFeed remains focused on human-generated journalism in its newsroom, a spokeswoman said Thursday.'&#8221;

BuzzFeed Will Use Artificial Intelligence To Generate Content

Artificial Intelligence

Technology

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/buzzfeed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BuzzFeed</a> plans to dismiss 12% of employees as the left-wing digital <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media</a> company braces for difficult <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">macroeconomic </a>conditions and adapts to new market trends.
The layoffs, impacting approximately 180 employees, occur as the company pivots toward “areas that will drive growth” and away from “areas with less audience engagement,” according to a <a href="https://twitter.com/sarafischer/status/1600171001123176453" target="_blank" rel="noopener">message</a> sent to employees on Tuesday by BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti and obtained by Axios media reporter Sara Fischer.
“In order for BuzzFeed to weather an economic downturn that I believe will extend well into 2023, we must adapt, invest in our strategy to serve our audience best, and readjust our cost structure,” Peretti remarked. “Our revenues are being impacted by a combination of worsening macroeconomic conditions, and the ongoing audience shift to vertical video, which is still developing from a monetization standpoint.”
Shares of BuzzFeed fell more than 6% to reach $1.07 by market close on Tuesday; the company’s stock has plummeted nearly 90% since its <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buzzfeed-sees-disappointing-stock-market-debut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lackluster debut</a> on the NASDAQ last year.
<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://get.dailywire.com/readers-pass/read-only-v2?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=dwsite&amp;cid=dwplus&amp;mid=z&amp;xid=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/readers-pass/read-only-v2?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=dwsite&amp;cid=dwplus&amp;mid=z&amp;xid=0" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">TIRED OF THE LEGACY MEDIA’S BIAS CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE AND OBSCURING THE TRUTH? JOIN US.</a>
BuzzFeed earned $104 million in revenue as of the third quarter of 2022, according to the company’s most recent <a href="https://investors.buzzfeed.com/static-files/a2f202c9-926e-48f6-8550-a9ce95e39bfe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earnings report</a>, marking a 15% increase from $90 million in the third quarter of 2021. Net losses, however, increased from $4 million to $27 million over the same period.
Vertical video was recently popularized by social media platform Tiktok, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktok-was-most-visited-site-in-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emerged</a> as the most visited website in the world last year, overcoming Google and other competitors. BuzzFeed has increasingly been packaging celebrity, news, and culture coverage as short-form vertical videos, according to the earnings report. Views on reels, shorts, and TikToks increased more than 60% between the second and third quarters of 2022.
“As we navigate the dual dynamics of the rapid rise of short-form vertical video and a weakening macroeconomic environment, this also means we are focused on preserving cash and leveraging our strong audience signal to direct resources toward the opportunities with the highest potential for monetization,” Peretti told investors.
The reduction in headcount follows similar moves from other media and entertainment companies. Warner Bros Television <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/entertainment-giants-and-media-companies-announce-massive-layoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slashed</a> 26% of headcount across scripted, unscripted, and animation divisions last month. Gannett, a media conglomerate which owns more than 250 local news outlets, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/local-journalists-laid-off-as-media-conglomerate-suffers-heavy-losses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> in August that executives would begin “necessary but painful reductions to staffing” while eliminating some open positions.
Peretti, who said that salaries were the largest expense at BuzzFeed, added that the reduction in payrolls will also help the firm to “consolidate and centralize” operations with Complex Networks, an entertainment company acquired by BuzzFeed last year. BuzzFeed plans to build “a more robust creator business, which requires a close conduit between content, business, and tech, and bringing additional skills and tools to the organization.”
Most of the layoffs will occur in sales, technology, and studio production, as well as BuzzFeed.com and Complex Networks, according to Fischer.
Technology companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Tesla have likewise announced <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/recession-fears-lead-big-tech-companies-to-pause-hiring-cut-jobs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hiring pauses or layoffs</a> for their corporate offices over the past several months, citing recessionary risk and broader economic uncertainty. The layoffs in the entertainment industry occur as some investors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meta-shares-fall-to-lowest-level-since-2016-as-company-burns-billions-on-metaverse-inflates-payrolls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticize</a> large corporations, especially in the technology sector, for maintaining bloated payrolls.

Digital Media Company BuzzFeed’s New York Headquarters

Left-Wing Media Company BuzzFeed To Dismiss Large Share Of Workforce

BuzzFeed To Dismiss Large Share Of Workforce

Business

Economy

Recession

Unemployment

A civil jury concluded Thursday that actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kevin-spacey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Spacey</a> did not molest actor Anthony Rapp decades ago when Rapp was a teenager.
The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-anthony-rapp-manhattan-kevin-spacey-910b90edbb92f00c7461809b13b8e782?taid=6351ade776bc1e0001f82a10&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that when the verdict was read, Spacey &#8220;dropped his head&#8221; and then began to hug his lawyers before walking out of the building.
Spacey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/courtroom-confession-kevin-spacey-claims-publicist-made-him-apologize-to-alleged-victim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">maintained</a> his innocence throughout the trial and claimed in court that his publicist was the one who made him apologize to Rapp back in 2017 when Rapp made the allegations.
“I was being encouraged to apologize and I’ve learned a lesson, which is never apologize for something that you didn’t do. I regret my entire statement,” <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/kevin-spacey-trial-cries-anthony-rapp-apology-1235406412/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spacey said in court</a> in New York City, as his emotions got the better of him and he began to cry. “It’s my responsibility. I put it out there. It was really wrong. It was really bad and I’m deeply sorry. I have to own that.”
He explained in court that at the time, he had just felt blind-sided and he “literally didn’t know how to respond.” That was when his publicist counseled him not to come out forcefully against Rapp, saying that he ran the risk of people then accusing him of blaming the victim.
Rapp accused the Academy Award-winning actor of making inappropriate sexual advances toward him in 1986 — when Rapp was just 14 years old — in a bombshell Buzzfeed article. <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/horrifying-spacey-quasi-admits-molesting-14-year-ben-shapiro/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spacey</a> responded to the accusation by publicly coming out as gay, denying any memory of the incident described by Rapp.
When Rapp made his accusations, Spacey responded, &#8220;I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I&#8217;m beyond horrified to hear his story. I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years.&#8221;
&#8220;This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life,&#8221; Spacey&#8217;s statement continued. &#8220;I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior.&#8221;
Virginia Kruta contributed to this report.
This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates.

Screen Shot 2022-10-20 at 2.46.37 PM

Kevin Spacey Did Not Molest Actor Anthony Rapp, Civil Jury Concludes

Civil Jury Says Kevin Spacey Did Not Molest Actor Anthony Rapp

Court

Crime

Kevin Spacey

New York

A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lgbtq">gay</a> actor has become the first American <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/monkeypox">monkeypox</a> victim to go public, writing about his terrifying experience with the virus that causes painful lesions all over the body.
Matt Ford, who stars in an upcoming thriller called “Beauty Marc,” wrote about his experience in a first-person article for <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/mattford/i-have-monkeypox-my-symptoms-so-far">BuzzFeed</a>, where he previously worked on the video team. He said he learned he got the dreaded virus when a friend in Los Angeles, with whom he’d had unspecified skin-on-skin contact, reached out to him.
“On Friday, June 17, that quickly changed. “I received a call from a friend in LA who informed me that he had tested positive for monkeypox and that I might have been exposed the weekend prior via skin-to-skin contact,” Ford wrote. “Sure enough, I checked myself for spots and noticed a couple of lesions in the underwear zone.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Monkeypox PSA<a href="https://t.co/yWfVLk8rwz">https://t.co/yWfVLk8rwz</a> <a href="https://t.co/GCCPZoQ5cw">pic.twitter.com/GCCPZoQ5cw</a>
&mdash; Matt Ford (@JMatthiasFord) <a href="https://twitter.com/JMatthiasFord/status/1541491097284726784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In a TikTok video, Ford blasted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for not doing more to stop monkeypox (information he says he learned from his doctor), which has been around for decades, but recently flared up in hotspots around the world. More than 300 Americans are believed to have contracted monkeypox.
“As of now, it seems to be primarily affecting queer men, but it can easily spread to anyone,” Ford said.
In addition to “really f***ing painful” lesions, Ford described symptoms that include fever, chills, a cough, sore throat, and flu-like aches.
Ford first revealed he had monkeypox on social media, then wrote the BuzzFeed post which is accompanied by a video of him detailing his ordeal.
&#8220;I’m a proud openly gay man, and I split my time between Los Angeles and New York,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;I decided last week to speak out about my case on social media to hopefully curb more infections ahead of New York Pride.&#8221;
Ford says he seems to be getting better – slowly.
“The flu-like symptoms abated slowly,” he wrote. “By Friday, a week after I&#8217;d first detected lesions, I felt mostly normal — at least, besides the lesions, which continued to appear. To date, I have counted more than 25, and they’re all over: on my arms, legs, hands, feet, and scalp.”
The virus was first discovered in 1958 among research monkeys, but spread to humans in the early 1970s. While extremely rare and not easily transmitted, the ongoing outbreak has been traced to gay sexual activity at two recent raves in Europe, according to the World Health Organization.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/world-health-organization-will-rename-monkeypox-because-name-is-discriminatory-stigmatizing-to-africa">planning to rename monkeypox</a> “as soon as possible,” amid claims the existing name is racist and discriminatory to Africa. Monkeypox is not fatal and there are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-places-another-bulk-order-of-monkeypox-vaccines">vaccines available</a>.

Monkeypox virus cells outbreak medical banner.

American Actor Stricken With Monkeypox Goes Public: ‘This S*** Sucks’

Actor Goes Public About His Bout With Monkeypox In Terrifying Buzzfeed Account

LGBTQ

Monkeypox

On Friday, Buzzfeed published an incredibly misleading <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilymaeczachor/marvel-stars-seemingly-call-out-evangeline-lilly-anti-vax">article</a> about actress Evangeline Lilly attending last week’s rally in D.C. protesting vaccine mandates.
The article — which later notes that two of Lilly’s Marvel colleagues appear to have used social media to respond to the actress — starts off by claiming that the “Defeat the Mandates” rally was an “anti-vaccination rally.”
It goes on to state that Lilly “claimed immunizations against the disease that has killed millions of people worldwide since 2020 are ‘not the way’ in her social media caption.”
The article only quotes part of what Lilly wrote:
<blockquote>“This is not the way. This is not safe. This is not healthy. This is not love. I understand the world is in fear, but I don&#8217;t believe that answering fear with force will fix our problems,” Evangeline wrote, after confirming she &#8220;was in DC this weekend to support bodily sovereignty,&#8221; which is how anti-vax advocates describe opposition to COVID vaccination mandates.</blockquote>
While the actress’ Instagram post is displayed in the piece, the caption isn’t shown on mobile, where, according to a 2019 Pew Research survey, a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/11/19/americans-favor-mobile-devices-over-desktops-and-laptops-for-getting-news/">majority</a> of Americans get their news.
“Americans continue to be more likely to get news through mobile devices than through desktop or laptop computers. Roughly six-in-ten U.S. adults (57%) often get news this way, compared with 30% who often do so on a desktop or laptop computer, according to a Pew Research Center survey,” Pew states.
The following is what Lilly write prior to what Buzzfeed quoted:
<blockquote>I was in DC this weekend to support bodily sovereignty while Canadian truckers were rallying for their cross-country, peaceful convoy in support of the same thing.
I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will, under threat of:
-violent attack
-arrest or detention without trial
-loss of employment
-homelessness
-starvation
-loss of education
-alienation from loved ones
-excommunication from society
…under any threat whatsoever.</blockquote>
Many of the comments below the Buzzfeed piece condemned Lilly.
“So her answer to fear is to kill my parents. Got it,” one commenter wrote.
Another simply called Lilly a “c***.”
Others slammed Buzzfeed for publishing such a misleading piece. “This article is dishonest and irresponsible propaganda. We should be able to have an honest debate without lying about people&#8217;s opinions,” wrote one person.
When another commenter noted the difference between Lilly’s position of being anti-mandate versus the article’s seeming assertion that the actress is anti-vaccine, several others dug in.
“When people are dying there is no f***ing choice. Get the F***ING vaccine and wear your F***ING masks so this s*** can be over,” replied one.
“Sorry, she’s still a killer,” said another.
As of publication, neither Marvel nor Disney have offered official comment on Lilly’s Instagram post. Lilly recently <a href="https://www.marvel.com/articles/movies/ant-man-wasp-kang-quantumania-wraps-filming">wrapped</a> filming for “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania,” the third film in the Marvel Ant-Man series.

Evangeline Lilly

Buzzfeed Targets Evangeline Lilly, Falsely Claiming She Said ‘Immunization’ Against COVID-19 ‘Not The Way’

COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaccine Mandate

BuzzFeed witnessed a disappointing stock market debut.
Trading under the ticker “BZFD,” the media company’s shares were priced at $9.62 on Friday; by market close on Monday afternoon, however, shares were priced at $8.56.
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/06/business/buzzfeed-stock.html">The New York Times</a> reported:
<blockquote>The choppy start came after BuzzFeed raised a lot less money than it had expected from the deal that brought it onto the stock market. BuzzFeed merged with a special purpose acquisition company, a transaction that could have raised over $250 million. But last week, the company revealed it had garnered only $16 million after a large number of shareholders declined to participate in the merger, allowing them to recoup money they had invested in the acquisition company&#8230;
Senior executives at other digital media companies are closely watching BuzzFeed’s debut. Many of those businesses, which have been funded by venture capital firms and by established media companies over the past decade, have faced an increasingly tough advertising climate and are looking for ways to pay back their early investors.</blockquote>
BuzzFeed is entering the market through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger, a mechanism growing in popularity among debuting companies — including other media firms. For instance, former President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-releases-new-details-on-social-media-platform-that-he-is-launching-soon">revealed</a> in October that he taking a new social media venture public.
“I created TRUTH Social and TMTG to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech,” Trump said in a statement. “We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced. This is unacceptable. I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon.”
“TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all,” he added. “I’m excited to soon begin sharing my thoughts on TRUTH Social and to fight back against Big Tech. Everyone asks me why doesn’t someone stand up to Big Tech? Well, we will be soon!”
Likewise, Rumble — a free speech alternative to YouTube meant to fight cancel culture — will be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rumble-a-free-speech-alternative-to-youtube-is-going-public">listed</a> on the NASDAQ under the ticker CFVI following a SPAC merger.
“Rumble is creating the rails to a new infrastructure that will not be bullied by cancel culture.” CEO Chris Pavlovski explained. “We are a movement that does not stifle, censor, or punish creativity and freedom of expression. We believe everyone benefits when they have access to more ideas and diverse opinions.”
“Being a public company will allow the people that believe in our mission to invest and join us as we seek to restore a free and open internet,” he added.
Among more established social media companies, Facebook is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/facebook-changes-company-name-to-meta-will-focus-on-bringing-the-metaverse-to-life">embarking</a> on a “metaverse” initiative and changing its name to “Meta.” Meanwhile, longtime Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey suddenly stepped down from his position; Dorsey’s replacement, former CTO Parag Agrawal, does not <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/twitters-new-ceo-in-2020-company-not-bound-by-first-amendment-must-think-how-times-have-changed">think</a> that Twitter should be “bound by the First Amendment” and that discourse on the platform should be policed in a way that shows “how the times have changed.”

BuzzFeed Sees Disappointing Stock Market Debut

Stock Market

Following yet another report by BuzzFeed alleging past misconduct against the famous self-help guru, Tony Robbins has taken legal action against the outlet for its &#8220;malicious campaign&#8221; against him.
After Robbins publicly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-tony-robbins-mocks-metoo-victimhood-gets-war-amanda-prestigiacomo">criticized</a> the #MeToo movement, BuzzFeed began to publish a series of pieces containing various accusations against the inspirational speaker, including that he &#8220;berated victims of rape and domestic violence&#8221; and that &#8220;former staffers and fans have accused him of groping audience members, exposing himself to women assistants, and sexually harassing fans.&#8221; One report featured a video from the 1980s of Robbins telling an audience about how he used the “N-word” in order to make a point.
In the sixth of the outlet&#8217;s anti-Robbins series, BuzzFeed <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiejmbaker/tony-robbins-accused-sexual-assault-teenager-supercamp">reported</a> last week on another claim from the &#8217;80s: that in 1985, Robbins, then 25, asked a female camper who was under 18 to go on a walk with him and then &#8220;forced himself upon her &#8212; kissing her and groping her breasts in a prolonged sexual assault.&#8221;
As reported by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/tony-robbins-starts-legal-actions-against-buzzfeed-over-sexual-assault-report">Fox News</a>, after threatening legal action last week, Robbins has now officially filed a legal summons against the outlet, a filing he submitted in Ireland on Tuesday.
&#8220;The Plenary Summons, obtained by Fox News, seeks damages for &#8216;defamation, malicious falsehood, misrepresentation, breach of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress&#8217; from a series of negative reports about Robbins,&#8221; Fox reports.
In response to BuzzFeed&#8217;s sixth investigative report on him, Robbins&#8217; lawyers said that a &#8220;situation&#8221; at the camp did indeed occur in 1985, but that it was fully addressed at the time and is ultimately a &#8220;non-issue.&#8221; The claim was &#8220;addressed with the camp attendees, the young woman, and her parents, and no one suggested that there was a sexual assault,&#8221; said Robbins&#8217; lawyers.
&#8220;No sexual assault happened. Period,&#8221; his attorneys underscored.
In a statement to Fox News, Robbins&#8217; lawyers accused BuzzFeed of &#8220;undermining our client’s hard-earned international reputation&#8221; and subjecting him &#8220;to a persistent attack on his character over the course of a number of articles.&#8221;
In response to Robbins taking legal action, BuzzFeed said in a statement to Fox News that they &#8220;stand by&#8221; their reporting &#8220;unequivocally&#8221; and suggested that Robbins&#8217; decision to file the summons in Ireland was an &#8220;abuse&#8221; of the Irish court.
&#8220;We learned today that Tony Robbins has started legal proceedings against BuzzFeed in Ireland, following a series of reports on allegations of inappropriate sexual advances, verbal abuse and, most recently, an alleged sexual assault of a teen. This reporting is based on hundreds of interviews, audio recordings, and documentary evidence, and we stand by it unequivocally,&#8221; BuzzFeed spokesman Matt Mittenthal said.
&#8220;Mr. Robbins has chosen to sue us abroad rather than address the detailed account of the woman who said he attacked her; the two women who say they saw it happen; and the accounts of dozens of others,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The fact that he doesn&#8217;t even seek to address these claims, choosing instead to abuse the Irish court system and attack BuzzFeed, speaks for itself.&#8221;
Robbins has slammed BuzzFeed publicly a few times, including in a <a href="https://medium.com/@TonyRobbins/who-is-watching-the-watchdogs-126f59da378">post on Medium</a> published last week in response to the outlet&#8217;s sixth hit-piece on him (excerpt below):
<blockquote>
Far from the watchdogs they once were, too many members of today’s tabloid and entertainment media ignore traditional journalistic ethics, values and standards. Too often, in the hyper-competitive, celebrity-driven and political charged environment that currently exists, they fail to verify facts and vet sources, and are permitted to present predetermined stories supporting an agenda or outcome they believe will sow the most outrage and engagement with their target audiences whether true or not.
For this reason, I am now suing BuzzFeed following a premeditated and malicious campaign against me and my life’s work.
In a series of articles this year, BuzzFeed falsely accused me of abusing my position and making inappropriate advances toward employees and event attendees as well as berating abuse victims at my seminars. Those stories were filled with falsehoods and many people actively spoke out against BuzzFeed in the immediate aftermath. For example, BuzzFeed inaccurately labeled two of their sources as “victims” when the truth is both came forward publicly to say they were not “victims” and refuted BuzzFeed’s false reporting. Further, more than two dozen witnesses issued sworn statements disputing the accuracy of BuzzFeed’s reporting and others have expressed serious concerns about the Buzzfeed reporters’ conduct during interviews.
In its first article, BuzzFeed cited an account of a former personal assistant, Ms. Rittase. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Rittase publicly repudiated the story:
“The only accurate part of what BuzzFeed said about me in their article about Tony Robbins is that Tony’s work truly impacted me and my family for the better. His work was transformational for our relationship and our life. BuzzFeed told me they wanted to talk to me so I could provide balance to their story as a positive perspective and then they twisted my words in a negative way. My interactions with Tony were always respectful, professional and appropriate.”
The same BuzzFeed article stated that “Robbins has unleashed expletive-laden tirades on survivors of rape and domestic violence” and then proceeded to selectively string together pieces of an intervention between myself and an event attendee to create a narrative untethered to facts and reality. When the woman involved in this intervention read the article, she was stunned by the gross distortion between what she read and her real-life experience. She set the record straight when she <a class="ax cj kq kr ks kt" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ3kWMBJE5Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer">posted a video on her YouTube channel</a> vehemently refuting BuzzFeed’s reports as false and completely inaccurate. She courageously shared how the life-changing experience at the event positively impacted her life, stating:
“BuzzFeed just basically continues to try to use pieces of the intervention out of context to make their point — the point that they want to make regardless of my experience.” So enraged by BuzzFeed’s complete disregard for the truth, this woman filed <a class="ax cj kq kr ks kt" href="https://callagylaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/campos-vs-fuzer-complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer">a lawsuit</a> implicating BuzzFeed and one of its sources for destructive conduct and a violation of her privacy rights.
But, BuzzFeed didn’t stop there. They reloaded their drivel gun and tried again.
They published a subsequent article alleging that I “Punish Followers by Making Them Drink Unidentified Brown Liquid.” My team responded to this ridiculous claim and shared the recipe and a video of what actually occurs. Unsurprisingly, Buzzfeed did not acknowledge key facts we shared since that would have ruined their narrative that I was somehow doing something injurious to my attendees.
It is no wonder that the Pew Research Center cites Buzzfeed as “the least trusted news source,” dead last in a field of 36 media outlets.
Today, BuzzFeed published another article riddled with falsehoods, concerning an alleged incident from 1985, 34 years ago when I was 25 years old. (I turn 60 in just a few months).
Throughout BuzzFeed’s campaign against me, numerous people have called in reports of being harassed and pressured by Buzzfeed reporters and being asked to confirm false and inaccurate stories about me. In the lead up to the latest story, a caller specifically said that a BuzzFeed reporter shared a version of a story with him and asked him to confirm the details she shared. He called us because he felt she had an agenda, was driving a preconceived narrative and trying to manipulate him into confirming the story she told him. Instead of asking him questions about what he believed to be true, the reporter repeatedly asked him to confirm accounts of her version of the story, even though he was not directly involved.
</blockquote>

Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins Takes Legal Action Against BuzzFeed For ‘Malicious Campaign’; BuzzFeed Responds

On Friday’s episode of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” the Daily Wire editor-in-chief talked about a hilarious text exchange between a Kamala Harris campaign aide and Buzzfeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith. Video and partial transcript below: 
This is just spectacular. I&#8217;m not sure whether I love it or whether I hate it. So there&#8217;s a BuzzFeed reporter, her name is Katherine Miller, and she was tweeting about the 2020 Democratic presidential debate. She tweeted out, quote:
<blockquote>MILLER: Hard to know if last night harmed or helped Warren, but I think we can all come together and agree a debate highlight was Warren telling Kamala Harris no about banning Trump from Twitter and then continuing with her point in the manner of shrugging off a Greenpeace clipboard person.</blockquote>
So that is what Miller tweeted – and by the way, she&#8217;s right. It was hilarious. Kamala Harris was so desperate for attention, I mean that the entire debate she was just like, “Love me! Why won’t you pay attention to me!? Twitter!”
[The fact that] she thought that her best hit on Elizabeth Warren was not, “You called yourself a Native American for 30 years on official forums.” Her best attack, instead, was, “Why won&#8217;t you ban Trump from Twitter, man?” Kamala Harris is very bad. 
So Kamala Harris’s [campaign aide then sends this insane note to] &#8230; Ben Smith, I guess, the editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed. 
<blockquote>AIDE: Hey, I have talked to her directly a few times when she&#8217;s tweeted out stuff like this and I told her I was glad she deleted it&#8230;</blockquote>
So [Miller] deleted the tweet. There&#8217;s nothing inappropriate about the tweet. 
<blockquote>AIDE: But this kind of stuff is just really a horrible look for you guys. Frankly, it&#8217;s whiteness manifest.</blockquote>
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CQ4rkjiylpo?start=2773" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">﻿</iframe>
Whiteness manifest? What? What in that tweet has anything to do with race? It just says that Harris is a crazy person who stands outside the supermarket with a Greenpeace clipboard. That&#8217;s 100% correct, and it has nothing to do with race. I know, Greenpeace activists, they come in all races and sizes and sexual orientations – at least they appear to. So like, what?
If Kamala Harris’s people are running to “that’s racism” to call her a Greenpeace activist, pretty weird.
<blockquote>AIDE: If Kamala shrugged off a Warren critique of how she wasn&#8217;t with her on Facebook, we’d get raked and she’d get lauded as taking on corporate power. The blithe mockery here of Kamala, while lauding Warren&#8217;s style, is just not up to par. I say this to you just to be super frank because I really like your guys’ work, the platform, and your reporters. We work well together across the board, but this is a bit problematic.</blockquote>
There&#8217;s that word again: problematic. So problematic! You can&#8217;t name what&#8217;s wrong with it, but it&#8217;s problematic. 
Also, I love the tacit admission right there that we work well together across the board, guys, and if you just have your people delete their tweets, we can continue to work really well together and be bestest of friends. That&#8217;s not corrupt in any way, shape, or form. Well done Kamala Harris&#8217; team, trying too hard.
By the way, points to Ben Smith. He responded, quote:
<blockquote>SMITH: Do you seriously not have real problems? This text makes me think you are totally, totally unready for an actual presidential campaign.</blockquote>
It’s that rare point, that rare time of the day when I am praising Ben Smith. Right on the money, man. 
<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ben-shapiro-show/id1047335260">Listen to full episodes of “The Ben Shapiro Show” on iTunes. </a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-ben-shapiro-show">Watch “The Ben Shapiro Show” on-demand!</a>

Kamala Harris

SHAPIRO: Buzzfeed Hilariously Slams Harris Campaign For Complaining About Reporter’s Tweets

2020 Election

Ben Shapiro

Elizabeth Warren

In its latest report targeting Tony Robbins, BuzzFeed News gave itself credit for allegedly getting one of the self-help guru&#8217;s book deals canceled, but Robbins&#8217; lawyers say that BuzzFeed&#8217;s report is misleading.
The feud between BuzzFeed and Robbins began three weeks ago when the left-leaning outlet published the first in a series of accusatory reports on Robbins. After conducting a yearlong investigation into Robbins, who has made critical comments about the #MeToo movement, BuzzFeed has published a series of pieces containing accusations that he &#8220;berated victims of rape and domestic violence, while former staffers and fans have accused him of groping audience members, exposing himself to women assistants, and sexually harassing fans.&#8221; The outlet also posted and reported on a video from the 1980s of a young Robbins telling an audience about using the &#8220;N-word&#8221; in order to drive home a point to another group.
On Thursday, BuzzFeed published a new Robbins-themed piece on another apparent setback for the celebrity that BuzzFeed suggests its reports prompted: &#8220;<a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiejmbaker/tony-robbins-latest-book-has-been-scrapped">Tony Robbins&#8217; Book Has Been Scrapped By His Publisher</a>,&#8221; reads BuzzFeed&#8217;s latest critical piece on the popular celebrity.
&#8220;Simon &amp; Schuster dropped the book after BuzzFeed News revealed the self-help guru has berated victims of rape and domestic abuse, and former fans and staffers have accused him of sexual harassment,&#8221; BuzzFeed claims. The book, titled &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Path-Accelerating-Journey-Financial-Freedom/dp/1982133090">The Path: Accelerating Your Journey to Financial Freedom</a>,&#8221; previously listed a release date on Amazon of July 23, 2019, BuzzFeed reports, but now the release date reads Dec. 31, 2050.
As with BuzzFeeds&#8217; other claims, Robbins&#8217; lawyers are pushing back, saying the release of the book has simply been &#8220;postponed.&#8221; &#8220;To state or suggest otherwise is absolutely false,&#8221; his lawyers said in a statement reported by the outlet. &#8220;To be clear, Simon &amp; Schuster has not severed its publishing agreement with Mr. Robbins,&#8221; his lawyers said.
The co-author of the book is Peter Mallouk, the president of Creative Planning, a $38 billion investment advising firm which recently parted ways with Robbins. Like the book, BuzzFeed has suggested that their reports have triggered the separation, but Creative Planning said in a <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/creative-planning-clarifies-circumstances-of-mutual-parting-with-tony-robbins-300858377.html?tc=eml_cleartime">statement</a> Wednesday that the decision was mutual and in the works for months. The statement also addressed the book deal, saying its release has only been &#8220;postponed&#8221; and that the &#8220;contractual terms were never reached nor finalized&#8221;:
<blockquote>
After several months of negotiation, Tony Robbins has exited from his advisory role within Creative Planning as the Chief of Investor Psychology, a role he assumed in 2016. Mr. Robbins will no longer hold a financial interest in Creative Planning, but he will remain a client and continued supporter of the firm.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve been negotiating an exit for six months,&#8221; said Peter Mallouk, owner and CEO of Creative Planning. &#8220;The parting between Tony and Creative Planning was imminent regardless and it was a mutual decision and amicable.&#8221;
The release of Mallouk&#8217;s expected upcoming book, &#8220;The Path: Accelerating Your Journey To Financial Freedom&#8221; containing contributions from Robbins, has been postponed. While the book was in the works, contractual terms were never reached nor finalized with its planned publisher.
</blockquote>
As The Daily Wire previously reported, after BuzzFeed published its first report on Robbins, he responded with a statement on <a href="https://medium.com/@TonyRobbins/an-open-letter-to-buzzfeed-editors-and-board-of-directors-from-tony-robbins-e78f2c11e8af">Medium post</a> in which he wrote: &#8220;I have been the target of a year-long investigation by BuzzFeed. Unfortunately, your organization has made it clear to my team that you intend to move forward with publishing an inaccurate, agenda-driven version of the past, pierced with falsehoods. It is intended to disparage me personally, my family, my life&#8217;s work, and the efforts of the millions of individuals around the globe who have taken this journey with me over the last 40-plus years.&#8221;

BuzzFeed: Tony Robbins’ Book Scrapped After Our Reports; Robbins’ Lawyers: Wrong Again

This article has been updated to incorporate new information from Creative Planning clarifying that Tony Robbins was not fired by the company in response to accusations against him, but that the two mutually parted ways after months of discussions.
Amid a series of reports by BuzzFeed News on various accusations against him, self-help guru Tony Robbins — who has been blasting back at the outlet since the first story dropped — has parted ways with $38 million investment advising firm Creative Planning. Initial reports indicated that the firm fired Robbins in response to the controversy, but the firm has since clarified that the two mutually parted ways.
&#8220;The firm’s quick decision to eliminate Robbins’ position, chief of investor psychology, and remove him from its advisory board following the accusations, has won praise from marketing professionals and advisers,&#8221; <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/tony-robbins-loses-role-with-38b-planning-firm-barrons-com-11559065722">The Wall Street Journal</a> initially reported Tuesday, citing InvestmentNews.
But on Wednesday, Creative Planning issued a <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/creative-planning-clarifies-circumstances-of-mutual-parting-with-tony-robbins-300858377.html">press release</a> clarifying the situation:
<blockquote>After several months of negotiation, Tony Robbins has exited from his advisory role within Creative Planning as the Chief of Investor Psychology, a role he assumed in 2016. Mr. Robbins will no longer hold a financial interest in Creative Planning, but he will remain a client and continued supporter of the firm.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve been negotiating an exit for six months,&#8221; said Peter Mallouk, owner and CEO of Creative Planning. &#8220;The parting between Tony and Creative Planning was imminent regardless and it was a mutual decision and amicable.&#8221;</blockquote>
As <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/47369/tony-robbins-responds-sexual-misconduct-amanda-prestigiacomo">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, BuzzFeed&#8217;s public feud with Robbins — who made comments critical of the #MeToo movement in the past — began a few weeks ago when the outlet reported that their yearlong investigation into the celebrity revealed that Robbins &#8220;berated abuse victims and subjected his followers to unorthodox and potentially dangerous techniques,&#8221; and that he allegedly made &#8220;inappropriate sexual advances&#8221; against former female fans and staffers, numbering now nine in total.
&#8220;A yearlong investigation by BuzzFeed News, based on leaked recordings, internal documents, and dozens of interviews with fans and insiders, reveals how Robbins has berated abuse victims and subjected his followers to unorthodox and potentially dangerous techniques. And former female fans and staffers have accused him of inappropriate sexual advances,&#8221; the outlet reported in the first of a multi-part report published May 17. &#8220;Two former followers who went on to work for Robbins provided BuzzFeed News with signed statements swearing under oath that they felt he had sexually harassed them by repeatedly pursuing them after they made clear they weren’t interested.&#8221;
BuzzFeed has since also published a video from the 1980s of a young Robbins describing <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/47639/buzzfeed-posts-old-video-tony-robbins-using-n-word-james-barrett">using the N-word</a> in one of his seminars. The outlet is now openly seeking more dirt on Robbins, each of its reports including the following message to readers:
<blockquote>Have you had experiences with Tony Robbins that you would like to share? To learn how to reach us securely, go to tips.buzzfeed.com. You can also email us at tips@buzzfeed.com.</blockquote>
In a <a href="https://medium.com/@TonyRobbins/an-open-letter-to-buzzfeed-editors-and-board-of-directors-from-tony-robbins-e78f2c11e8af">Medium post</a> following the publication of the first report, Robbins blasted BuzzFeed. &#8220;I have been the target of a year-long investigation by BuzzFeed. Unfortunately, your organization has made it clear to my team that you intend to move forward with publishing an inaccurate, agenda-driven version of the past, pierced with falsehoods,&#8221; Robbins wrote. &#8220;It is intended to disparage me personally, my family, my life’s work, and the efforts of the millions of individuals around the globe who have taken this journey with me over the last 40-plus years.”
Meanwhile, Robbins&#8217; legal team is threatening &#8220;devastating&#8221; action against the outlet and its investors.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/47639/buzzfeed-posts-old-video-tony-robbins-using-n-word-james-barrett">BuzzFeed Posts Old Video Of Tony Robbins Using N-Word During Presentation; Robbins&#8217; Lawyer Responds</a>
This article has been updated and revised for clarity.

UPDATE: Tony Robbins, Advising Firm Part Ways Amid Accusations, BuzzFeed Blitz

Sexual Misconduct

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