Reporter Michael Grunwald Gets Famous Tweeting Wish For Drone Strike On Julian Assange
Time magazine reporter Michael Grunwald got famous on Saturday for tweeting the delightful message that, “I can’t wait to write a defense of the drone strike that takes out Julian Assange.”
Uh oh. That’s the fastest Twitter feud since Rihanna and Amanda Bynes.
Supporters of the Wikileaks founder weren’t laughing at the lame-o joke. A Huffington Post report collected a great many of the outraged responses to Michael Grunwald’s Julian Assange tweet.
As you might expect, Guardian reporter and Edward Snowden apologist
Glenn Greenwald was prime among them. “Things like this make you not just understand but celebrate the failings of large media outlets,” Greenwald said.
C’mon. It was a joke. A stupid joke. But a joke.
Time pointed out that the tweet came from the reporter’s personal account — and has since been deleted anyway.
Grunwald himself has come forward in multiple tweets to make fun of himself, to apologize, and to just plain admit he was wrong.
But there are always a few people who can’t let go. And you can still see a few tweets floating around today calling for Time to fire Michael Grunwald.
Demand @Time cut ties w/ @MikeGrunwald – psychopathic "Journo" who tweets about craving the death of Julian Assange. #BoycottTime @AssangeC
— Decentralise Occupy (@endarken) August 17, 2013
That’s the problem with deleting a tweet. Half the internet already has the screenshot. And the other half will just make up a better story about you.
Grunwald clearly has a sense of humor. He even retweeted personal attacks on himself, although I question the wisdom of the retweet from some weirdo called Cholo Weed.
That oddball tweeted, “I can’t wait until your mother dies of suffocation from me throat f*******g her.” I have to believe at some point that person will also suffer Twitter remorse and hit the delete button.
@MikeGrunwald I can't wait until your mother dies of suffocation from me throat fucking her
— Cholo Weed (@DankBuds420) August 17, 2013
I’m sure there’s some deep philosophical lesson to be learned here about Twitter, freedom of speech, and what to expect if you make a really bad joke.
For the record, here’s a portion of Michael Grunwald’s twitter feed in the aftermath of the Julian Assange brouhaha:
@jackshafer obviously, not while he's in the embassy.
— Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) August 17, 2013
Fair point. I'll delete. @rober1236Jua my main problem with this is it gives Assange supporters a nice safe persecution complex to hide in
— Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) August 17, 2013
It was a dumb tweet. I'm sorry. I deserve the backlash. (Maybe not the anti-Semitic stuff but otherwise I asked for it.)
— Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) August 18, 2013
I didn't need a boss to tell me it was dumb. I mean, @blakehounshell called me derpy! Again, I apologize. Good night, everyone.
— Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) August 18, 2013
Let he who has never sent out a stupid tweet cast the first stone.
I just can’t get that excited about Michael Grunwald’s Julian Assange drone attack tweet. Haven’t we all tweeted something just as silly?
[predator drone photo by US Air Force]
