Michael Hiltzik’s big bad week in the blogosphere
UpdateThe Los Angeles Times blog that Michael Hiltzik blogs has been taken down for violation of Times’ ethics guidelines. In part because Mr. Hiltzik did not identify himself when on Independent Sources and in fact denied being him when confronted.
Update: It is back up but without the post where he admits/defends what he did and belittling those who called him on it. You can read Hiltzik’s censored post in its entirety here.
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Michael Hiltzik (pictured below but if you look closely you will see that he was drawn with the words “Independent Sources”) may be one of the most written about writers this week in the blogosphere. Independent Sources certainly contributed our part to his exposure having written several pieces on him (linked below). While ours are probably not the kind of exposure he would like, the result is likely a tremendous increase in awareness about Hiltzik and his blog. When this all blows over he is certain to have greatly raised his online profile.
For Independent Sources the most recent activity started last week, when we posted a story called “Is your cable bill too high? Ours is.” The very first comment was from someone using the name “nofanofcablecos” who called us stupid and clueless. It turns out that nofanofcablecos was none other than Los Angeles Times writer Michael Hiltzik.
He might have been set off by another post that was running at the same time called “Read this if if you will enjoy watching a liberal L.A. Times columnist get whacked over the head repeatedly by the facts” where we pointed to a story at Patterico’s blog concerning Hiltzik’s take on a Costa Mesa program to check the status of illegal immigrants accused of committing serious crimes.
Either way, Hiltzik kicked into name calling and in the process we divulged his identity and raising the question of our (now amended) privacy policy concerning people who call us names. We covered this in this post: Did We Violate Our Privacy Policy When We Outed Commenter “NoFanOfCableCos?”
In between these, Independent Sources addressed Hiltzik’s serial abuse of statistics in The Los Angeles Times’ Michael Hiltzik Abuses Web Stats For Fun and Profit.
Since there are other topics in the world to write about we are pleased that the fun has moved over to Patterico’s Pontifications where Patterico carefully outlines a detailed analysis of Hiltzik’s self-congratulatory comments left anonymously at Patterico’s and other blogs, Three in One: Michael Hiltzik, Mikekoshi, and Nofanofcablecos . It paints a very clear picture of an established mainstream writer’s clumsy attempts to adjust to an online world and the temptation to post complimentary things about one’s self instead of waiting around for others to do so.
Update: Hiltzik’s blog is down and has been replaced with the following text:
The Times has suspended Michael Hiltzik’s Golden State blog on latimes.com. Hiltzik admitted Thursday that he posted items on the paper’s website, and on other websites, under names other than his own. That is a violation of The Times ethics policy, which requires editors and reporters to identify themselves when dealing with the public. The policy applies to both the print and online editions of the newspaper. The Times is investigating the postings.
Update: Hiltzik’s really bad week continues as WAPO picks up the story (”Los Angeles Times Yanks Columnist’s Blog“).
The Los Angeles Times suspended the blog of one of its top columnists last night, saying he violated the paper’s policy by posting derogatory comments under an assumed name.
Others picking up the thread:
Winds of Change
FullosseousFlap
Michelle Malkin
Ace of Spades
Captians Quarters
Pundit Review
Okie on the LAM
Hoystory
L’ Ombre de l’Olivier
Glittering Eye
Advice Goddess
Blue Crab Blvd.
Chapomatic
Rathergate
Mark Kilmer
Pursuing Holiness
Cold Fury
Real Ugly American
Sister Toldjah
Right Wing Nutjobs
Common Sense Journal
Similar Independent Sources posts:
- Another Brick In The Wall …: In his post last week exposing the Los Angeles Times' Michael Hiltzik as a self promoting sock pupeteer, Patterico noted that "Mikekoshi," one of Hilt ...
- Hiltzik: “they trusted me to know where the limits were”: Hugh Hewitt points us to this Online Journalism Review interview of the Los Angeles Times' Michael Hiltzik. The piece went up last Monday, prior to Pa ...
- Nofanofcablecos gets his LA Times column back; the return of Michael Hiltzik: For us it started as a comment to this Independent Sources post, and the comment "Boy, you guys are stupid." It was signed Nofanofcablecos. After a li ...
- You won’t believe this: Another Times Employee Leaving Easily Traceable “Anonymous” Comments: LA Times employee follows Michael Hiltzik's foolish footsteps and fails to erase them as well A commenter called "Masha" left this nice message on ...
- STLLATB (Save the Leftist Los Angeles Times Blogger): What to do about Michael Hiltzik? I hope that as editors at the Los Angeles Times ponder that question, they are able to isolate Hiltzik's act from ...
April 20th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
A MSM Meltdown?
Using multiple names in an attempt to hide your already anonymous self to make a particularly offensive comment, or create phony allies for your arguments is considered bad form, and cowardly, and has resulted in lots of people being run off of websit…
April 20th, 2006 at 5:21 pm
[…] he stories in print to be ethical! Other places to find this story… HughHewitt.com http://independentsources.com/2006/04/20/michael-hiltzik-nofanofcablecos/ […]
April 20th, 2006 at 5:49 pm
Hiltzik’s reply is still up, too, when I checked at 6:45 PM PDT:
http://goldenstateblog.latimes.com/goldenstate/2006/04/anonymity_on_th.html
April 20th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
Oh man, what a bad week to be out of town. I just read all this. I did learn one thing though never get Patterico or you guys mad at me.
April 21st, 2006 at 1:29 am
The Times wants this issue closed, and fast. As I said, there are a number of bloggers commenting on this issue: More from The Real Ugly American Carol Platt Liebau Flap (with pictures) SisterToldjah LAVoice CreeTees Laura’s Misc.Musings andIndependentSources has a long link list. The fact of the matter remains is the Times isn’t admitting that he lied, and neither is he. Neither one has issued an apology. And if the Times thinks they can pull his blog down for a few days, or restart another one with him
April 21st, 2006 at 7:29 pm
have given him some major credibility in the blogosphere and even among his opponents–because even though we might disagree, we’re all bloggers under the skin. Update: Hiltzik did violate a Times blogging policy, but his blog is back up…thanksIndependent Sources, where there is also this great comment: “What shouldn’t be blamed, even unconsciously, is the medium. It would be easy for the LAT to learn the “lesson” that reporters or columnists can’t be trusted with blogs.
April 21st, 2006 at 10:23 pm
[…] gambling, gay porn, and much, much more Conspiracy Theorists Need New Poster Child If Michael Hiltzik thought he was having PR problems all he has to do is l […]
April 22nd, 2006 at 9:21 pm
. Insider and Senior Administration Official have had some really good stuff lately, starting with the Charlie Sheen conspiracy post and it’s follow-ups, and running up through the entire Michael Hitzik scandal (also here, here,here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). Full Disclosure I have posted on Independent Sources, but not on these two subjects. I will be working on a conspiracy post with Insider and SAO soon. Not that the amount of traffic I get here will
April 23rd, 2006 at 7:04 am
[…] se. A fantastic link to the past.” — Turning 30 and a Half blog RecentComments Independent Sources on Patterico Nails LA Times […]
April 23rd, 2006 at 7:39 am
Michael Hiltzik’s big bad week in the blogosphere[IMG This article is a Blog post from “Independent Sources”]
April 24th, 2006 at 1:20 am
“defined” by smear artists equipped with computers, polls and attack ads. And pseudonymns. UPDATE: More from The Real Ugly American Carol Platt Liebau Flap (with pictures) SisterToldjah LAVoice CreeTees TheAsylum Laura’s Misc.Musings andIndependentSources has a long link list. Nice work on the brand by the Times’ rapid response team. Permalink | Print This Entry
April 24th, 2006 at 1:20 am
“defined” by smear artists equipped with computers, polls and attack ads. And pseudonymns. UPDATE: More from The Real Ugly American Carol Platt Liebau Flap (with pictures) SisterToldjah LAVoice CreeTees TheAsylum Laura’s Misc.Musings andIndependentSources has a long link list. Nice work on the brand by the Times’ rapid response team. Permalink | Print This Entry
April 25th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
Independent Sources trackbacked withMichael Hiltzik’s big bad week in the blogosphere…
May 9th, 2006 at 2:42 am
[…] rtainly contributed our part to his exposure having written several … Trackback by Independent Sources — 4/20/2006 @ 3:56 pm He only published one of my […]
May 9th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
Mr. Patterico, Mr Frey? what do you prefer? No Matter,
What’s the real reason you banned me from your website Mr Frey?
And how come you didn’t address me on Cathy Seipp’s website Mr Frey?
Now, I understand you ARE an Assistant Los Angeles District Attorney, and Cooley, Hodgeman, and others are legally scared to death of me about what I can legally Expose about some of the OJ Simpson Case, but why are you SO evasive in legally addressing me, Mr Frey?
Mario G. Nitrini 111
December 21st, 2006 at 1:55 am
[…] au Flap (with pictures) SisterToldjah LAVoice CreeTees TheAsylum Laura’s Misc.Musings and IndependentSources has a long link list. Nice work on […]