MSNBC anchor accused of plagiarism after he attacks journalist Matt Taibbi



MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan was accused of plagiarizing content in a column after he got into a Twitter spat over accusations he made against journalist Matt Taibbi.

Investigative journalist Lee Fang made the accusations against the MSNBC host and posted his evidence in a Substack article.

"Mehdi Hasan doesn't just smear other journalists with lies and false accusations of bigotry to get ahead, he also has a history of stealing from them," wrote Fang.

Fang posted sections from a column by Hasan entitled, "No Harm in Spanking," that were remarkably similar to one entitled, "When to Spank," that had been previously published at U.S. News and World Report.

Compare spanking columns here. There's a lot more in the link above about the MSNBC news pundit's antics. pic.twitter.com/CW2Xam91lJ
— Lee Fang (@lhfang) April 18, 2023

The journalist accused Hasan of committing "a clear violation of the simple ethics code outlined by the Society for Professional Journalists."

Fang said he looked into Hasan's background after the MSNBC attacked him for defending Taibbi against claims that he had perjured himself during congressional testimony. Taibbi apparently mixed up two government organizations, mistaking CISA for CIS, but Fang has defended him on the grounds that his statements were still true apart from confusing one for the other.

In an interview on The Hill TV, Fang went on to excoriate Hasan for what he called a petty, personal attack against Taibbi.

"Matt Taibbi in one tweet mixed up an acronym and he quickly corrected the record," said Fang

"Mehdi has engaged in many lies in this whole process. The lying about never talking about the Hunter Biden laptop, he did. Lying about never reporting on this more scurrilous Russiagate allegations, he did. And then, the most serious allegation here is that Matt Taibbi lied under oath to Congress," he explained.

"This is a claim that Mehdi has repeated over and over again. Again this is perjury, this is serious stuff," Fang concluded. "This is kind of very petty, personalized attacks that aren't true."

Democrats have since taken up the accusation of perjury against Taibbi in order to threaten him that he might face up to five years in prison if convicted of lying to Congress.

Taibbi has been under attack from the left since he published many of the "Twitter Files" containing emails and other private documents released by Elon Musk after he bought the popular social media platform.

Here's Fang talking about his claims against Hasan:

MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan PLAGIARIZED Pro-Spanking Column Nearly WORD-FOR-WORD: Lee Fang Reports www.youtube.com

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Top Senate Dem pushes claim about free speech so false even a reporter who believes Constitution is 'very bad' condemns him



Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) received a lesson in constitutional law on Tuesday after suggesting the First Amendment does not protect against spreading "misinformation."

What did Durbin say?

Progressives are gnashing their teeth over Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, and they claim the social media platform will become a cesspool of hate under his leadership.

Durbin echoed those concerns on Tuesday by claiming there is more "hate speech" on Twitter since the sale transaction closed last week. Oddly, Durbin also used his talking point to claim free speech excludes "spreading misinformation."

"In the days since Musk took Twitter private, the platform has seen an uptick in hate speech, and Musk himself used the platform and his influence to spread a baseless conspiracy theory about a violent attack on an elected official’s family member," Durbin said.

"Free speech does not include spreading misinformation to downplay political violence," he claimed.

\u201cFree speech does not include spreading misinformation to downplay political violence.\u201d
— Senator Dick Durbin (@Senator Dick Durbin) 1667346724

Perhaps the most ironic part of Durbin's statement is that he is a graduate of Georgetown Law School and currently chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

What was the response?

Durbin's claim — that spreading "misinformation" is not protected free speech — was condemned by conservatives and progressives alike.

Even Vox correspondent Ian Millhiser, who believes the Constitution is "very bad" and "should be replaced," rebuked Durbin for the constitutional ignorance of his statement.

"I crafted a snarky and venomous QT that I was going to attach to this tweet, but, out of respect for the senator’s position as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I will, instead, politely suggest that he might enjoy studying more of the nuances of First Amendment doctrine," Millhiser said.

Others responded:

  • "We simply must start electing people with at least a minimal level of [civic] literacy.This is not that. Embarrassingly not that," First Amendment lawyer Ari Cohn said.
  • "Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a *very* questionable statement," legal reporter Chris Geidner, who is also a lawyer, responded.
  • "I mean it very much does, in a constitutional sense," MSNBC host Chris Hayes retorted.
  • "It’s a scary thing that the most powerful people in our government do not understand the basics of the laws they uphold. The entire point of the First Amendment is that it protects the speech you don’t like. It does not only apply when you’re vibing with it," Reason editor Billy Binion responded.
  • "One day after a major story from @lhfang and @kenklippenstein proving the US Govt and Security State are directing Big Tech on what to censor, the #2 Senate Dem tries to radically restrict what "free speech" means in a way that contradicts all 1A caselaw," Glenn Greenwald observed.
  • "Gee, why was anyone bothered by DHS's plan to establish a 'Disinformation Governance Board'?" journalist Josh Barro rhetorically noted.
  • "Yes, it does. Free speech specifically includes the freedom to spread ideas that some, or even all, others might view as misinformation. Ironically, Senator Durbin’s tweet is misinformation," former Rep. Justin Amash noted.

There are, of course, legal restrictions to the First Amendment, like against "true threats," incitement," and harassment. But "spreading misinformation" is not one.

Reporter witnesses 'surreal' moment when 'mostly black families' rally to support police while Antifa protests



Talk about narrative-busting.

Just weeks after Oakland lawmakers voted to slash funding from the Oakland police department, a reporter witnessed what he called a "surreal" moment in Oakland on Saturday — black families rallying to support police while "mostly white" Antifa protesters demonstrated against police.

What are the details?

Led by Oakland police chief LeRonne Armstrong and other community leaders, city residents angry over violent crime gathered Saturday for the "Stand Up for a Safe Oakland" rally.

Journalist Lee Fang of The Intercept reported on the "surreal" scene of the rally.

"Surreal moment in Oakland. About 200 mostly black families rally with police to call for an end to the epidemic of gun violence. Mothers at the stage mourning recently murdered children. In the back, less than a dozen mostly white antifa protesters assembled to jeer them," Fang reported.

Surreal moment in Oakland. About 200 mostly black families rally with police to call for an end to the epidemic of… https://t.co/W6Tdg7O8UN

— Lee Fang (@lhfang) 1625949707.0

One video from the rally captured older black residents confront the protesters. When the Antifa protesters claimed police are responsible for the deaths in Oakland, the black rally-goers erupted.

"No!!!" one woman screamed.

"That's a lie, that's a lie," a nearby black man said.

(Content Warning:Strong language):

In #Oakland today there was a "Stand up for a Safe Oakland" rally against gun violenceSeveral #Antifa, who appear… https://t.co/XkDLIHKPHL

— AntifaWatch (@AntifaWatch2) 1625950805.0

"Dramatic confrontation before I got there," Fang explained of the confrontation. "A lot of the anti-violence activists from East Oakland said they were disappointed in the white anti-police antifa protesters, said they seemed close minded and disconnected from the actual violence in the city."

Armstrong also addressed the Antifa protesters in his remarks at the rally.

"You can shout from wherever you come from," he said, KPIX-TV reported. "It don't matter to me because I've lost people as a result of gun violence. So you can't tell me what this day is about."

"The fact of the matter is, far too many people are afraid to come outside," Armstrong said. "Our seniors can't walk to the store. Young people are dying at an alarming rate. If you can't stand up for safe Oakland, what do you stand up for?"

Why did city leaders they slash funding?

Oakland — which is run by a Democratic mayor and an all-Democratic city council — voted to "strip $17.4 million in funding from the Oakland Police Department and direct the money toward other programs," according to KPIX.

Councilmember Dan Kalb said that, despite increased violent crime, the city should "focus on our violence prevention, affordable housing, our homeless populations and that's what this budget helps us move forward and do."

Surprisingly, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf opposed the budget cuts.

"I believe that until we have proven alternatives, we cannot destroy Oakland's current public safety system at a time when we are losing so many to gun violence," she said.