Media top headlines February 18
In media news today, The Washington Post issues a clarification after saying Clarence Thomas resembles the thinking of ‘White conservatives,’ Ex-New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is declared ineligible to run for governor of Oregon, and liberal journalists lash out at Ilhan Omar.
The New York Times was sharply rebuked by critics this week for running an ad campaign that appeared to celebrate the imaginary exclusion of "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling from being associated with the popular series.
"Lianna is imagining Harry Potter without its creator," read billboards placed in a Washington, D.C. metro station.
J.K. ROWLING SLAMMED FOR DEFENDING CONCEPT OF BIOLOGICAL SEX: ‘IT ISN’T HATE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH'
It was the first of several images on a video ad, going on to have the captions, "Lianna is a harmony of flavors," and, "Independent journalism for an independent life."
The suggestion that the "creator" of "Harry Potter" would be imagined out of any association with the series appeared to refer to past efforts by left-wing activists to cancel Rowling because of her views on transgender issues.
Rowling shared her views on biological sexes in a 2020 tweet that sparked intense backlash from transgender activists.
"If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction," Rowling tweeted. "If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth."
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She was accused of being transphobic, and eventually returned an award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization following remarks from the organization's president describing her as such.
Rowling later slammed a group of transgender activists for posting her home address online. She also said that hundreds of activists had violently threatened her.
Two Quidditch leagues, United States Quidditch and Major League Quidditch, which were formed to play a game popularized by the "Harry Potter" series, released a statement late last year explaining they were seeking a name change in order to distance themselves from Rowling and her "anti-trans" views.
Critics took to social media to blast The Times, with some calling the ad "nasty," and others suggesting it was condescending to Rowling.
"Shocking condescension. [W]e are trying to imagine the N Y Times without its marketing dept., without its editors, without its owners, without its Op-Ed columnists & without its loyal subscriber base," wrote one critic.
J.K. ROWLING SLAMS TRANS ACTIVISTS AFTER ‘PIPEBOMB’ THREAT
Another critic suggested the ad was "vaguely threatening" to Rowling, while one blamed the Times' treatment of Rowling on her being a woman.
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"This thread is astonishing. Is this real? How can the NYT advertise itself through the rhetorical vehicle of separating JK Rowling from her own artistic creation/ intellectual property?" wrote Thomas Chatterton Williams of The Atlantic, while another critic jokingly suggested "Lianna" go "learn about intellectual property law."
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