Reporter Quits The Daily Wire With Scathing Open Letter Decrying ‘Overtly Partisan’ Trans Coverage

 

Christina Buttons

The Daily Wire investigative journalist Christina Buttons announced her departure from the conservative outlet, citing their pundits’ inflammatory rhetoric on the subject of transgender issues.

Buttons explained her decision in a blog post on Tuesday, starting with an explanation about why she — a self-described “pro-choice atheist who has consistently voted Democrat” — took a job with the outlet. She argued that The Daily Wire’s nuance on the subject and editorial standards were higher than what liberal critics give them credit for.

From Buttons’ post:

I was told that The Daily Wire’s stance was that adults could live their lives however they pleased, so long as they kept kids out of it. There was no clash between safeguarding of children and tolerance for alternative adult lifestyles, even ones that some might regard as unhealthy.

It was a message I could get behind.

But recent videos and posts have weakened my confidence in their commitment to this message.

While Buttons praised Matt Walsh for his documentary What is a Woman?, she proceeded to raise criticisms against the conservative commentator, saying he was more interested in attacking his opponents and fueling animosity toward trans people than trying to win a sociopolitical debate. She also referred to the controversy Michael Knowles generated at CPAC with his speech declaring “Transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.”

Many left-wing media outlets deliberately misinterpreted Knowles’ claim that “transgenderism” should be “eradicated from public life entirely” as a call for “eradicating transgender people,” and many later corrected their headlines to accurately reflect the quote. A generous interpretation of Knowles’ statement is that he wishes to eradicate gender ideology, a postmodern social theory, from public life. So why not say that? On this issue it is extremely important to clearly distinguish between people and ideas so as not to feed into Left-wing manufactured hysteria about impending genocides.

The political Right often rails against “identity politics” and group labels yet many fail to distinguish between transgender people and transgender activists. Not all transgender people are transgender activists. In fact, many—especially of the older generation find the extremism of contemporary trans activism appalling. Likewise, not all transgender activists are themselves transgender.

Buttons concludes that Knowles’s rhetoric was still inflammatory to the degree that it becomes more difficult for her to connect with persuadable centrists on gender ideology.

“There is a critical distinction between speaking truth and being tactless, between sticking to the facts and sticking it to the libs,” she writes. “I dedicate my days and nights to meticulously surveying data, scouring the primary literature, and choosing the best words to accurately convey the truth. But such painstaking attention to detail is rendered meaningless when the company’s flagship entertainers and personalities speak impulsively and deploy divisive rhetoric for entertainment and clicks.”

This is not a game, and we cannot afford to make these issues overtly partisan. The bodies, minds, and lives of children are being permanently damaged, and everyone, not just reporters and journalists, has a duty to approach this issue with the seriousness it demands.

In light of these concerns, I can no longer in good faith maintain my employment with The Daily Wire. There are many wonderful journalists at this organization who continue to do stellar work, and I hold no animosity toward any of them. But when my employer can no longer make good on the promise I was given at the start of my employment, my only recourse is to resign.

Buttons stood by her comments on Twitter as she accused The Daily Wire’s personalities of “dumping gasoline” on the gender debate. She retained her admiration for the editorial team, however.

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