Liberal journalists lash out at Ilhan Omar after telling reporters to 'do better'

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Media top headlines February 16

In media news today, The New York Times is found not liable in Sarah Palin’s defamation case, Allison Gollust resigns from CNN, and conservative political satirist P.J. O’Rourke dies at age 74.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., faced blowback from her liberal journalists after she criticized journalists whose reporting on the data breach of donors to the Canadian Freedom Convoy is leading to the harassment of private citizens. 

On Wednesday, Canadian radio personality Dean Bundell shared an article that included a Google spreadsheet, which listed all the names, email addresses, and donations made to the Canadian Freedom Convoy. 

"So, Here's The GiveSendGo Donor List.." Bundell wrote. The leaked information has been labeled as a hack by the Christian crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo. 

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Man waves a Canadian flag on the 20th day of the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa (Fox News Digital/Lisa Bennatan)

Several other journalists have reported or reached out to the individuals found on the list with one notable example coming from the Canadian website Ottawa Citizen. Editor Alison Mah shared an article written by reporter Blair Crawford that focused on a café owner forced to shut down her business after receiving threats for donating $250 to the Freedom Convoy.

Omar responded to the article and said it was "unconscionable" for journalists to share the hacked data that leads to harassment of individuals. 

"I fail to see why any journalist felt the need to report on a shop owner making such a[n] insignificant donation rather than to get them harassed," Omar wrote. "It’s unconscionable and journalists need to do better."

While Omar received rare praise from her political opponents, she was lambasted by progressive members of the media.

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UNITED STATES - JUNE 17: Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., attends a bill enrollment ceremony for the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in the Capitol on Thursday, June 17, 2021.  (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"This tweet is totally wrong. The Ottawa Citizen did NOT write a story about a shop owner making a donation to the truckers. The piece is about a business closing down due to threats of violence after their donation was made public by others. It's a completely legitimate story," Buzzfeed reporter Paul McLeod tweeted.

"Whether a journalist should or shouldn’t report on a shop owner donating to the convoy protest…that’s not what the Ottawa Citizen did. It reported on a shop owner saying she had to temporarily close because of harassment prompted by her donation being revealed in a hack," CNN reporter Daniel Dale wrote. 

The Atlantic’s David Frum retweeted a Twitter user’s thread condemning Omar writing, "The journalist whom Ilhan Omar falsely accused of doxing a convoy donor and inciting harassment against them has now been forced to lock her account because of the harassment she’s receiving over this false claim. Also worth noting: Rep. Omar is regurgitating right-wing disinfo."

ILHAN OMAR SCOLDS JOURNALISTS FOR PROMOTING HARASSMENT OF CANADIAN FREEDOM CONVOY DONORS: ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’

FILE - In this April 20, 2021, file photo Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks in Brooklyn Center, Minn., during a news conference at the site of the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright by a police officer during a traffic stop. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Omar defended her comment saying that "everyone has a right to critique" an article.

"Ps. I fully read the article multiple times and I still don’t believe there was merit to the story as reported other than further harassment. You all are entitled to your opinions, but my opinion remains the same. These kinds of stories ruin people’s lives and are uncalled for," Omar wrote.