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[CyberPanda]

Seattle Times journalist Mike Rosenberg was apparently suspended by the newspaper after he seemingly sent writer Talia Jane an explicit direct message early Sunday morning. Jane alerted the paper to his behavior, and editors subsequently announced that he would be suspended.

Jane’s conversation with Rosenberg began when he messaged her about whether she had considered applying for reporting jobs. In the past, Jane has written for outlets like Vice and Cracked (back in 2016, she also wrote for Fusion, which is now Splinter). The conversation began respectfully, but the tone quickly shifted.


“Anyway you’re so beautiful. Anyway you are hilarious,” Rosenberg seemingly wrote. He followed up those borderline-harassing messages with this one, 40 minutes later: “there is so much cum on your face.”

Jane shared the DMs on Twitter, initially without revealing Rosenberg’s identity.




After Jane responded by calling out Rosenberg’s disgusting behavior, he told her that he sent the message by accident, an excuse she didn’t buy.



Jane then asked Rosenberg to suspend his Twitter account, to which he eventually agreed. She also emailed Times editors to alert them to Rosenberg’s behavior.

“I am bringing this information to your attention because the media landscape is filled with men who abuse their platforms to engage in predatory sexual harassment with less established voices,” Jane wrote in her email. “This behavior routinely discourages women and marginalized voices from entering the field and sets a precedent for other men to follow suit.”

Seattle Times Executive Editor Don Shelton eventually responded to Jane’s email.

“I want to update you that we have suspended the reporter who sent you the inappropriate messages on Twitter while we investigate the situation thoroughly,” Shelton wrote. “Thank you again for bringing this to our attention so we could deal with the situation. We are taking this very seriously and do not tolerate this kind of behavior.”

The newspaper then announced Rosenberg’s suspension publicly, without naming him.



Jane eventually did reveal Rosenberg’s identity, after he apparently sent her an email offering to buy her silence with a $1,000 donation to the National Organization for Women. Really dude???



Jane wrote on Twitter that she didn’t intend to “end [Rosenberg’s] career,” and said an email to Seattle Times editors that she doesn’t expect Rosenberg to be fired, just held accountable.

“If the consequences of his actions are that he loses his job, then that’s wholly his responsibility. His behavior is not my fault,” she wrote on Twitter.

This isn’t the first time that Jane has found herself in the midst of a public reckoning over sexual harassment. Last September, she outed a former Cracked writer who went by the name John Cheese for sexual harassment of herself and other women. Cheese’s writing was eventually removed from the site at Jane’s request. Given this history, it’s incredible that Rosenberg would apparently believe he could get away with sending these messages to Jane.

Jane posted on Twitter Sunday evening that she has no further comment on the story, adding only “also, please unionize your newsrooms.”

Update, 11:40 p.m. ET: Rosenberg has confirmed to the online publication Crosscut that he did indeed send the messages to Jane, but says he did so by accident.

“They weren’t supposed to go to her,” Rosenberg told Crosscut. When the journalist asked him who they were intended for, he responded “I would rather not say.”

Rosenberg apparently then told Crosscut that he was at the hospital, before hanging up the phone.

The Crosscut reporter also was able to reach Seattle Times executive editor Don Shelton, who would not say whether Rosenberg’s suspension was paid or unpaid.

Rosenberg was also apparently a board member of the Society of Professional Journalists for Western Washington, which responded to a request for comment from Crosscut saying that it has suspended him.

“We take this claim very seriously and have suspended the board member pending further information,” the organization said. “Sexual harassment is a pervasive issue in journalism and other industries, and we support survivors.”

Update, 05/06/19, 5:00 a.m. ET: Twitter, excelling at supporting victims of harassment as always, temporarily suspended Jane’s account after she tweeted a common expression. Almost a quickly they unsuspended the account.



Great job, guys!

Seattle Times Journalist Suspended After Harassing Writer With Gross Twitter DMs

Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.

splinternews.com

 

[Trojita]

The distance in text times actually makes it sound like this was legit a mistext probably meant for a friend he was joking at.

 

[EviLore]

Kind of a non sequitur and a significant delay in timestamps, could be a mistext like he claims. Either way, he apologized and backed off and offered to make a donation to charity, and she has since launched a campaign to destroy his life? Apparently it's not the first time she has gone after someone like this. Stay far, far away from feminists if you don't have enough reasons to already.

 

[iconmaster]

I don't buy his excuse given he texted her three times over a 45-minute time span. His suspension seems justified.

But "did he forget i got a writer’s 10-year career wiped from a website for this exact behavior?" is a vicious attitude.

So he found her that tempting. Huh.

 

[Trojita]

I don't buy his excuse given he texted her three times over a 45-minute time span. His suspension seems justified.

But "did he forget i got a writer’s 10-year career wiped from a website for this exact behavior?" is a vicious attitude.



So he found her that tempting. Huh.

They were in regular conversation before 2 of the three last texts? The former last two come off as thirsty, the last one comes out of nowhere 40 minutes later.

 

[KillCleanEat]

I don't think it was a mistake. He rolled the dice and got burned. I don't think he should be fired. I can see suspension sure. And I'm glad his wife is going to find out.

 

[Papa]

I believe him

 

[LOLCats]

i guess it does go down in the DM

 

[RokkanStoned]

I don't buy his excuse given he texted her three times over a 45-minute time span. His suspension seems justified.

It's kind of odd, really. To me the simple explanation seems to be that he was drunk at 3 AM and made a mistake (would explain the big time gaps). I mean even in the context of the conversation "there is so much cum on your face" makes no sense, it just absurd. But since he at a bit past 4 AM responded easily enough, that puts that into doubt, as well as initializing the conversation with something professional. Making a single line during a dm accidentally is not what would constitute meaningful harassment to me. But if it's conscious or repeating, that'd be another thing. I'd easily buy his excuse if he said it was his friends trolling him as he fell asleep on the couch in a drunken stupor. So either he just made a mistake as he was drunk or he's got some really odd way of approaching sexual harassment. His past 4 AM response is what really makes the former seem less likely. Though it might've been that the "cum on your face" message was intended to someone else, because it makes no sense whatsoever.

Also, girl isn't even average looking and her personality seems crazy through her response to this with the massive actions she had taken (still, while her response is over the board, it's good she at least did something about it. An email to Society of Professional Journalists and Seattle Times would have sufficed and perhaps asking publically on Twitter whether anyone else has experienced anything like sexual harassment from said person, to see if it's not a one time thing).

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

It's kind of odd, really. To me the simple explanation seems to be that he was drunk at 3 AM and made a mistake (would explain the big time gaps). I mean even in the context of the conversation "there is so much cum on your face" makes no sense, it just absurd. But since he at a bit past 4 AM responded easily enough, that puts that into doubt, as well as initializing the conversation with something professional. Making a single line during a dm accidentally is not what would constitute meaningful harassment to me. But if it's conscious or repeating, that'd be another thing. I'd easily buy his excuse if he said it was his friends trolling him as he fell asleep on the couch in a drunken stupor. So either he just made a mistake as he was drunk or he's got some really odd way of approaching sexual harassment. His past 4 AM response is what really makes the former seem less likely. Though it might've been that the "cum on your face" message was intended to someone else, because it makes no sense whatsoever.

Also, girl isn't even average looking and her personality seems crazy through her response to this with the massive actions she had taken (still, while her response is over the board, it's good she at least did something about it. An email to Society of Professional Journalists and Seattle Times would have sufficed and perhaps asking publically on Twitter whether anyone else has experienced anything like sexual harassment from said person, to see if it's not a one time thing).

"The girl isn't even average looking"

......what? What are you implying with a comment like that?

 

[Musky_Cheese]

Perhaps she is emotionally exhausted because she is fighting battles that don’t require her to fight.

It really seems as if it was sent to the wrong person. Unless I’m missing how “there’s so much cum on your face” is linked to their conversation.

So he sent the message to the wrong person, apologized for the mistake,

She then decides to make this public and ruin his life... but she is exhausted emotionally.

Generation ME right there

 

[Cunth]

Maybe there was legit cum on her face?

 

[Papa]

"The girl isn't even average looking"

......what? What are you implying with a comment like that?

Dat bitch fugly

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

Maybe there was legit cum on her face?

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

Whoa, I had no idea some shit went down with John Cheese, I remember reading him back when I read Cracked.

 

[LOLCats]

honestly though, that dude should have known in 2019 that is not how you sext a new person. You have to get consent before sextual relations.

i'm 10/90% that he sent to the wrong person or got no replies from his advances and then transmitted his current fantasy.

if the conversation didn't previously end with him complimenting her, id say sure wrong person. But he told that fugly woman she was beautiful then 45 mins later came on her face. So ya it probably wasn't an errant text.

i wonder if he thought because she is ugly and big boned she'd be easy... LOL...

 

[Ownage]

"The girl isn't even average looking"

......what? What are you implying with a comment like that?

He's correctly implying she's ugly.

 

[juliotendo]

Only thing that face needs is a paper bag.

 

[LOLCats]

Maybe there was legit cum on her face?

CGI dude. it was all CGI

 

[RokkanStoned]

"The girl isn't even average looking"

......what? What are you implying with a comment like that?

That she's not really attractive. Though that doesn't mean that one can't get sexually harassed, of course. It just shows a very terrible choice of a person to sexually harass, if there's not anything physically attractive about them. Though that might also make them easier targets as well and the sense of power and control could be a thing as well. I mean, we're allowed to say someone's not attractive nowadays, right?

Maybe there was legit cum on her face?

CGI dude. it was all CGI

Maybe he just jerked off on his phone and forgot it in a drunken stupor and was like: "wtf there's so much cum on your face". That'd be some next level stranger than fiction if that'd somehow been true.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

That she's not really attractive. Though that doesn't mean that one can't get sexually harassed, of course. It just shows a very terrible choice of a person to sexually harass, if there's not anything physically attractive about them. Though that might also make them easier targets as well and the sense of power and control could be a thing as well. I mean, we're allowed to say someone's not attractive nowadays, right?

Maybe he does find her attractive though? The way the comment I quoted read was like "and another reason why he couldn't have POSSIBLY harassed her is because she is ugly" which is just....wow.

 

[Thurible]

What a gross thing to text to a lady. Also, I don't like how some people are seemingly coming to the conclusion this is has to be a mistake because they personally find her unattractive, seems kind of demeaning.

 

[RokkanStoned]

Maybe he does find her attractive though? The way the comment I quoted read was like "and another reason why he couldn't have POSSIBLY harassed her is because she is ugly" which is just....wow.

Maybe he does, but it was a comment from my perspective. If you'd have noticed my comment was on a different split-off paragraph, in order to avoid lumping it into the earlier argument about the situation that occured. I did that, because I was specifically commenting about her looks and personality, and not the earlier situation of what happened.

 

[Papa]

What a gross thing to text to a lady. Also, I don't like how some people are seemingly coming to the conclusion this is has to be a mistake because they personally find her unattractive, seems kind of demeaning.

Are you just ignoring her other outrage-mongering behaviour that is outlined in the article? She quite clearly gets off on the attention.

 

[oagboghi2]

Kind of a non sequitur and a significant delay in timestamps, could be a mistext like he claims. Either way, he apologized and backed off and offered to make a donation to charity, and she has since launched a campaign to destroy his life? Apparently it's not the first time she has gone after someone like this. Stay far, far away from feminists if you don't have enough reasons to already.

Oh yeah that's a mistext.

He dodged a bullet

 

[TheGreatYosh]

Mike Rosenberg is a typical male feminist “journalist”. It’s good he got exposed, but she is disgusting as well.

 

[infinitys_7th]

Maybe there was legit cum on her face?

As Evilore said, there is obviously stuff cut out between tweets. For all we know they were making bukkake jokes and he went a little further than she was okay with

Spoiler

weeks later when she decided he Tweet raped her.

 

[Sqorin Hammerfarf]

There’s so much cum on her face...

Edit: I was talking about someone else.

 

[Papa]

As Evilore said, there is obviously stuff cut out between tweets. For all we know they were making bukkake jokes and he went a little further than she was okay with

Spoiler

weeks later when she decided he Tweet raped her.

Seriously, people need to learn how to read between the lines. Or just the lines themselves...

"laughing beautifully through buckets of cum that anyone thinks i, of all people, wouldn’t post this"

"testing the waters & feigning oopsie is pretty typical in sexual harassment. so is initiating conversation on the premise of professionalism. did he forget i got a writer’s 10-year career wiped from a website for this exact behavior?"

"i was having a really lovely night and now my whole body is so tense that i’m shivering. i’ve done nothing to encourage this or signal in any capacity that this behavior would be welcome. all i did wrong was exist!"

"i've been pretty fair in options to remedy this but not knowing how to delete your account is such a weak excuse i decided to provide an additional option."

"just received response from the executive editor. i responded asking to be updated on what action is taken. in the meantime, he did finally deactivate."

"the emotional exhaustion that comes with calling out bad behavior from cis men in positions of relative power cannot be talked about enough."

"he sent an email asking for empathy to not out him and promised a $1,000 donation to NOW. wrong move. women are not toys. we certainly should not be played with and efforts to manipulate us will not be tolerated. live with your choices."

She's not upset by this. She's not literally shaking. She gets off on it. She enjoys it. She even gloats about him deactivating his account and boasts about the previous writer whose 10-year career she destroyed. She's angry at her place in the social hierarchy and has latched onto feminism as a means of exacting revenge on the system (patriarchy) that placed her there.

 

[oagboghi2]

Seriously, people need to learn how to read between the lines. Or just the lines themselves...

"laughing beautifully through buckets of cum that anyone thinks i, of all people, wouldn’t post this"

"testing the waters & feigning oopsie is pretty typical in sexual harassment. so is initiating conversation on the premise of professionalism. did he forget i got a writer’s 10-year career wiped from a website for this exact behavior?"

"i was having a really lovely night and now my whole body is so tense that i’m shivering. i’ve done nothing to encourage this or signal in any capacity that this behavior would be welcome. all i did wrong was exist!"

"i've been pretty fair in options to remedy this but not knowing how to delete your account is such a weak excuse i decided to provide an additional option."

"just received response from the executive editor. i responded asking to be updated on what action is taken. in the meantime, he did finally deactivate."

"the emotional exhaustion that comes with calling out bad behavior from cis men in positions of relative power cannot be talked about enough."

"he sent an email asking for empathy to not out him and promised a $1,000 donation to NOW. wrong move. women are not toys. we certainly should not be played with and efforts to manipulate us will not be tolerated. live with your choices."

She's not upset by this. She's not literally shaking. She gets off on it. She enjoys it. She even gloats about him deactivating his account and boasts about the previous writer whose 10-year career she destroyed. She's angry at her place in the social hierarchy and has latched onto feminism as a means of exacting revenge on the system (patriarchy) that placed her there.

She is trying to make this into a "thing". Expect a hashtag soon

 

[Papa]

She is trying to make this into a "thing". Expect a hashtag soon

She's seeking her 15 minutes of #MeToo fame. She has no other way up the social hierarchy so must resort to this backdoor method to get the attention she craves.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

She's not upset by this. She's not literally shaking. She gets off on it. She enjoys it. She even gloats about him deactivating his account and boasts about the previous writer whose 10-year career she destroyed. She's angry at her place in the social hierarchy and has latched onto feminism as a means of exacting revenge on the system (patriarchy) that placed her there.

Just look at this photo of her

That's genuine cruelty you see in those eyes, it's honestly kind of chilling.

 

[juliotendo]

I don’t think there’s too many men out there wanting to “harass” this specimen.

 

[brap]

Maybe there was legit cum on her face?

Doubt it. He probably meant to DM that to his gf. after she was out all night

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

It is not beyond my realm of belief that he sent this to the wrong person.

I don't know anything about either person involved other than what I read in this article. I try not to pass judgment too easily these days, been trying to be better about that.

It's also possible he was shitfaced and sent it to her, as drunk people do drunk things.

If I ever had kids I am going to make sure to have a lot of talks about "digital footprints" when the time/age is right. Even if this was meant for someone else, I mean, your name is on everything you send and everything you send to everyone never truly goes away anymore.

You just gotta be extra careful these days.

I don't like celebrating in career genocide over things that are, for the most part, relatively minor. Don't get me wrong, that's a gross thing to say/write to anyone, not condoning that whatsoever, but to have your life long-term wrecked over something like that just pains me to hear about as it is such an avoidable mistake.

On a side note, maybe it is a good life tip to not be in contact, period, with people who brag about ruining other peoples careers in the past. That's not the kind of person you want in your life, for any reason.

I am sure pretty much any female is subject to sexual harassment online, I believe she has experienced it and I would imagine it sucks.

 

[juliotendo]

Just look at this photo of her

That's genuine cruelty you see in those eyes, it's honestly kind of chilling.

Looks like your dime a dozen unkept, unattractive, overly masculine, overweight feminist.

These things must be genetic because all these feminist women look the same and act the same.

 

[Trojita]

She's seeking her 15 minutes of #MeToo fame. She has no other way up the social hierarchy so must resort to this backdoor method to get the attention she craves.

She already had that actually. She's the one that worked for Yelp who wrote the open letter to the CEO on medium and then got fired. It was national news.

 

[EverydayBeast]

I feel like engaging with this thread is not a good move, but saying nothing doesn't make the situation any better, I got nothing against feminists but they always had situational exchanges and I love Twitter but this is a mess.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

Looks like your dime a dozen unkept, unattractive, overly masculine, overweight feminist.

These things must be genetic because all these feminist women look the same and act the same.

They are "feminists" and have the shitty attitudes they have precisely because they're unkept, unattractive, overly masculine and overweight.

To be fair some of them have probably been mistreated because of that which is a shame, but rather than take the high road and have a good attitude regardless they've chosen to give in to resentment and hate.

If you're ugly on the outside but pretty on the inside then your looks can't be held against you, but if you instead choose to be ugly on the inside too then you can fuck off.

Life is all about how you deal with the hand that you're dealt and if you're dealt a bad hand but try to make the most of it regardless and keep a good attitude, then you're doing what's right, if instead you choose to have a bad attitude over it, then you're just an asshole.

 

[LOLCats]

Maybe he just jerked off on his phone and forgot it in a drunken stupor and was like: "wtf there's so much cum on your face". That'd be some next level stranger than fiction if that'd somehow been true.

You know i was pondering the internet reaction if his wife said he was sexting her at that time. but I doubt that was what was happening...

 

[CyberPanda]

Maybe she posts on Reeera. Hmmm.

 

[Nymphae]

I don't buy that he was trying to harass her. No one would throw out "there is so much cum on your face" apropos of nothing as a way to feel someone out. That had to be meant for another text entry field somewhere. The "anyway you are beautiful and hilarious" is a bit weird, but I still just can't imagine someone casting that line out there.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

I don't buy that he was trying to harass her. No one would throw out "there is so much cum on your face" apropos of nothing as a way to feel someone out. That had to be meant for another text entry field somewhere. The "anyway you are beautiful and hilarious" is a bit weird, but I still just can't imagine someone casting that line out there.

More than likely it was a mistake and she's ruined a man's life over a mistake.

Never let be it said that feminists are not some ice cold, cruel mother fuckers.

 

[RokkanStoned]

I don't buy that he was trying to harass her. No one would throw out "there is so much cum on your face" apropos of nothing as a way to feel someone out. That had to be meant for another text entry field somewhere. The "anyway you are beautiful and hilarious" is a bit weird, but I still just can't imagine someone casting that line out there.

I wouldn't say that no one would. People are often very strange creatures and they'll surprise you. But it's a weird thing thrown out that doesn't fit in the context of the conversation, so it might also be reasonable to assume it could've been a mistake. Who knows, really. It feels like one of those autocorrect gone wrong memes, but without the correction.

 

[MayauMiao]

"Anyway you're so beautiful"

"Anyway you are hilarious"

I am convinced that he sent the message to the wrong person.

 

[infinitys_7th]

More than likely it was a mistake and she's ruined a man's life over a mistake.

Never let be it said that feminists are not some ice cold, cruel mother fuckers.

So much for empathy.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

How hard would it be, in this day and age, to make up DM's and photoshop anybody/anything into them?

At what point does the blame/onus shift towards the receiver to just delete the fucking message.

This isn't the holocaust, the gulags, the slave trade, the eugenics program etc. It's a fucking text message. Get some perspective, Jesus Christ.

 

[Melubas]

I have no idea what happened but to go from the first two "flirty" texts to that instantly made me think of when my friends got hold of my phone (good old Nokia) when we were teens. Either he's very stupid and just decided to go for it (extremely not cool), or he had a friend over and they were joking about it and he accidentally hit send (not cool) or a friend of his just decided to fuck him over and sent it without him even writing it (very not cool).

 

[crowbrow]

People mentioning she's fugly but not realizing he's a fugly soiboy too. And modern feminists are ruthless towards soiboys cause they know they can manipulate them and make their wimpy little bodies cower in fear without much effort.

Anyways yeah these people thrive on ruining people's lifes over nonsense like this and getting virtue signaling points on social media. That's what keeps them going. They need harrassing to exist cause getting harrased themselves gives them victim status. If harrassment would cease to exist they would have to actually make some effort in their life and they would be fucked then. They thrive on harrassment and on getting offended that's why i stay away from people like this.

 

[crowbrow]

I have no idea what happened but to go from the first two "flirty" texts to that instantly made me think of when my friends got hold of my phone (good old Nokia) when we were teens. Either he's very stupid and just decided to go for it (extremely not cool), or he had a friend over and they were joking about it and he accidentally hit send (not cool) or a friend of his just decided to fuck him over and sent it without him even writing it (very not cool).

He already accepted it was him who send the text but he said it was intended for someone else. I'm not convinced, maybe he was drunk or drugged. Still it is ridiculous to ruin someone's life over a couple of inappropriate texts.