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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/14/breitbart-writers-resign-trump-manager-assault-reporter-michelle-fields
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Breitbart staffers resign over treatment after Trump manager's alleged assault | Breitbart staffers resign over treatment after Trump manager's alleged assault |
| (6 months later) | |
| Writers for the conservative news outlet Breitbart have resigned in protest over the company’s treatment of Michelle Fields, a campaign reporter who says she was assaulted by Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. Fields herself also resigned, as has the company’s media relations representative. | Writers for the conservative news outlet Breitbart have resigned in protest over the company’s treatment of Michelle Fields, a campaign reporter who says she was assaulted by Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. Fields herself also resigned, as has the company’s media relations representative. |
| “I do not believe Breitbart News has adequately stood by me during the events of the past week and because of that I believe it is now best for us to part ways,” Fields told BuzzFeed, which reported news of her departure late on Sunday. | “I do not believe Breitbart News has adequately stood by me during the events of the past week and because of that I believe it is now best for us to part ways,” Fields told BuzzFeed, which reported news of her departure late on Sunday. |
| The dispute has riven Breitbart, one of the leading news sites catering to conservative views, which claims around 17m unique visitors per month. | The dispute has riven Breitbart, one of the leading news sites catering to conservative views, which claims around 17m unique visitors per month. |
| Editor-at-large Ben Shapiro is among those who resigned, calling out Breitbart chairman Steve Bannon in particular: “In my opinion, Steve Bannon is a bully, and has sold out [founder] Andrew [Breitbart]’s mission in order to back another bully, Donald Trump; he has shaped the company into Trump’s personal Pravda, to the extent that he abandoned and undercut his own reporter.” | Editor-at-large Ben Shapiro is among those who resigned, calling out Breitbart chairman Steve Bannon in particular: “In my opinion, Steve Bannon is a bully, and has sold out [founder] Andrew [Breitbart]’s mission in order to back another bully, Donald Trump; he has shaped the company into Trump’s personal Pravda, to the extent that he abandoned and undercut his own reporter.” |
| The dispute started when Fields accused Lewandowski of assaulting her at a campaign event in Jupiter, Florida on 8 March. | The dispute started when Fields accused Lewandowski of assaulting her at a campaign event in Jupiter, Florida on 8 March. |
| Brietbart, a conservative news site with a largely positive perspective on Trump, forbade staffers from expressing support for Fields publicly and questioned the veracity of her account, going so far as to canvass people who had been at the event with Fields for conflicting accounts of how she arrived at her injuries. | Brietbart, a conservative news site with a largely positive perspective on Trump, forbade staffers from expressing support for Fields publicly and questioned the veracity of her account, going so far as to canvass people who had been at the event with Fields for conflicting accounts of how she arrived at her injuries. |
| The company’s fortunes are bound more closely with Trump’s than are those of competing conservative publications like the Daily Caller. With WorldNetDaily, Brietbart flirts more openly with the fringes of American conservatism, approvingly christening Trump’s campaign pitch “populist nationalism”. | The company’s fortunes are bound more closely with Trump’s than are those of competing conservative publications like the Daily Caller. With WorldNetDaily, Brietbart flirts more openly with the fringes of American conservatism, approvingly christening Trump’s campaign pitch “populist nationalism”. |
| Fields posted pictures of her injuries – fingerprint-shaped bruises – to Twitter. Washington Post reporter Ben Terris wrote on 10 March that he had watched as Lewandowski “grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way”. | Fields posted pictures of her injuries – fingerprint-shaped bruises – to Twitter. Washington Post reporter Ben Terris wrote on 10 March that he had watched as Lewandowski “grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way”. |
| Terris quizzed Fields about the incident at the time, and the conversation was caught on video. Fields responded with shock: “Yeah, I don’t understand,” she told him. “That looks horrible. You’re going after a Breitbart reporter, the people who are nicest to you?” | Terris quizzed Fields about the incident at the time, and the conversation was caught on video. Fields responded with shock: “Yeah, I don’t understand,” she told him. “That looks horrible. You’re going after a Breitbart reporter, the people who are nicest to you?” |
| Fields filed a report with the Jupiter police related to the incident. | Fields filed a report with the Jupiter police related to the incident. |
| When the picture of Fields’ bruised arm went up on Twitter, Joel Pollak, attorney for Breitbart, told the rest of the writers via the chat application Slack: “Please do not retweet or respond.” | When the picture of Fields’ bruised arm went up on Twitter, Joel Pollak, attorney for Breitbart, told the rest of the writers via the chat application Slack: “Please do not retweet or respond.” |
| “This is the kind of problem that requires a coordinated response, which management has provided,” Pollak wrote. “We have asked the campaign for an apology and we have put Michelle’s statement up.” | “This is the kind of problem that requires a coordinated response, which management has provided,” Pollak wrote. “We have asked the campaign for an apology and we have put Michelle’s statement up.” |
| When Fields resigned, Pollak put the only mention of her departure in the last line of the article he had written, and, under the pseudonym William Bigelow (a name used by Shapiro’s father, David, another Breitbart contributor), quoted himself: “I’m worried. I had enjoyed listening to Ben read Breitbart California stories, word for word, without attribution, on his morning radio show,” Pollak said he said. “Now what will he do for content?” | When Fields resigned, Pollak put the only mention of her departure in the last line of the article he had written, and, under the pseudonym William Bigelow (a name used by Shapiro’s father, David, another Breitbart contributor), quoted himself: “I’m worried. I had enjoyed listening to Ben read Breitbart California stories, word for word, without attribution, on his morning radio show,” Pollak said he said. “Now what will he do for content?” |
| David Shapiro resigned from Breitbart on Sunday evening, according to Politico. | David Shapiro resigned from Breitbart on Sunday evening, according to Politico. |
| Pollak’s article was illustrated with an image of a baby snake hatching, a picture lifted from Facebook of a happy-looking Fields playing a game with Trump-brand playing cards, and tags that included “traitors”, “urine”, “jihad” and “baby snake”. | Pollak’s article was illustrated with an image of a baby snake hatching, a picture lifted from Facebook of a happy-looking Fields playing a game with Trump-brand playing cards, and tags that included “traitors”, “urine”, “jihad” and “baby snake”. |
| The article (but not the metadata headline, which as of this writing still reads Ben Shapiro Betrays Loyal Readers, Listicles) has since been replaced with an apology in which Pollak admits to writing the post attributed to Bigelow/Shapiro. | The article (but not the metadata headline, which as of this writing still reads Ben Shapiro Betrays Loyal Readers, Listicles) has since been replaced with an apology in which Pollak admits to writing the post attributed to Bigelow/Shapiro. |
| Pollak did not respond to a request for comment. | Pollak did not respond to a request for comment. |