Sunday, November 03, 2024

Hugh Hewitt Resigns as WaPo Columnist After Snowflake Meltdown


Grace Harrington
Fri, November 1, 2024
DAILY BEAST

Hugh Hewitt on “Meet the Press” in 2017.

Conservative columnist Hugh Hewitt resigned from The Washington Post on Friday, shortly after exiting a stormy livestream debate.

Hewitt’s is the latest resignation to rock the Post but this time unexpectedly from the right. It shows Jeff Bezos‘ crisis isn’t easing up but instead hitting both sides of the political divide–although Hewitt did not resign in protest at the paper’s owner censoring its endorsement of Kamala Harris.

Instead, Hewitt walked off the Post‘s show “First Look,” with liberal columnists Jonathan Capehart and Ruth Marcus, after a heated discussion on Donald Trump’s lawsuit about alleged voting irregularities in Pennsylvania.


Capehart started by asking Marcus if Trump is “laying the groundwork for contesting the election by complaining that cheating was taking place in Pennsylvania?” He cited Trump’s lawsuit against Bucks County for alleged irregularities.



“No election can be fair in Donald Trump’s mind unless Donald Trump wins it,” Marcus said. As Hewitt tried to interject, Capehart said, “Let Ruth finish, Hugh.”

“Well, I’ve just got to say, we’re news people, even though it’s the opinion section,” Hewitt said. “It’s got to be reported. Bucks County was reversed by the court and instructed to open up extra days because they violated the law and told people to go home. So that lawsuit was brought by the Republican National Committee, and it was successful… We are news people, even though we have opinions, and we have to report the whole story if we bring up part of the story. So, yes, he’s upset about Bucks County, but he was right and he won in court. That’s the story.”

After a pause, Capehart said, “I don’t appreciate being lectured about reporting when Hugh, many times, you’ve come here saying lots of things that aren’t based in fact.”

Hewitt then called the livestream the “most unfair election ad” he’s ever done and left the set.

Hewitt has been at the Post since 2017. He also hosts a radio show where he recently interviewed Trump.

“As the newsroom’s live journalism platform, Washington Post Live is known for its dynamic conversations and thought-provoking perspectives on top issues of the day, such as this morning’s “First Look” program, a Post spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Beast.

The newspaper has been under fire this week over its owner Jeff Bezos’ decision not to allow it to endorse a presidential candidate.


Hugh Hewitt storms off Washington Post live show

Dominick Mastrangelo
Fri, November 1, 2024


(The Hill) — Conservative radio host and political pundit Hugh Hewitt stormed off a Washington Post live event on Friday after an argument over former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on election integrity ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

“Is it me or does it seem like Donald Trump is laying the groundwork for contesting the election,” Post host Jonathan Capehart asked Ruth Marcus, who was appearing with Hewitt as part of the live event. “By claiming that cheating was taking place, but suing Bucks County [Pennsylvania] for alleged irregularities … “

Marcus replied that Trump has been “laying the groundwork” to contest the election for months, setting Hewitt off.

Hugh Hewitt talks about the 2016 presidential race with Ted Koppel and Jonathan Alter on his show, “Alter Family Politics” at Quicken Loans Arena on July 20, 2016, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images for SiriusXM) *** Local Caption *** Hugh HewittMore

“Jonathan, I’ve gotta speak up,” he tried to interject.

“Let Ruth finish, Hugh,” Capehart shot back.

“Well, I’ve just got to say, we’re news people, even though it’s the opinion section,” Hewitt said after Marcus finished. “It’s got to be reported. Bucks County was reversed by the court and instructed to open up extra days because they violated the law and told people to go home. So, that lawsuit was brought by the Republican National Committee, and it was successful. The Supreme Court ruled that Glenn Youngkin was successful,” he added, referring to the GOP Virginia governor’s efforts to purge some 1,600 people from the voter rolls.

“We are news people, even though we have opinions, and we have to report the whole story if we bring up part of the story. So, yes, he’s upset about Bucks County, but he was right and he won in court. That’s the story,” Hewitt said.

After a brief pause, Capehart told Hewitt, “I don’t appreciate being lectured about reporting when, Hugh, many times you come here saying lots of things that aren’t based in fact.”

“I won’t come back, Jonathan, I’m done,” Hewitt said, ripping his earpiece out and standing up.

“I’m done. This is the most unfair election ad I’ve ever been a part of,” Hewitt continued, his face no longer visible on the screen. “You guys are working, that’s fine, I’m done.”

Capehart attempted to move on and ask Marcus about a recent column she wrote, but the event was halted again when Marcus’ camera froze.

The host was eventually forced to end the event early, saying, “Everybody if you’ve been watching … you know these conversations can be interesting, contentious.”

“You just saw Hugh Hewitt leave, which is lamentable, unfortunate. It is what it is. Thank you very much for joining us,” he continued and urged viewers to subscribe to the Post.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.




Conservative columnist at The Washington Post quits, after saying show was unfair

Hanna Seariac
Fri, November 1, 2024

Hugh Hewitt speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at the National Religious Broadcasters convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. | George Walker IVMore

Another columnist left The Washington Post Friday, but this time it was not over Jeff Bezos’ decision to not endorse a presidential candidate. Conservative columnist Hugh Hewitt left during a live talk show early Friday, saying it was “the most unfair election ad” he’s participated in.

Nationally syndicated radio host Hewitt quit The Washington Post after he walked off the paper’s online show “First Look.” This comes as the paper has internally been grappling with fallout when an editorial to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris was squashed.

“I have in fact quit the Post, but I was only writing a column for them every six weeks or so,” said Hewitt to Fox News. He reportedly told editorial page editor David Shipley on Friday morning that he quit.

Here’s what happened.

Columnist Jonathan Capehart brought up a lawsuit by the Trump-Vance campaign during the live talk show. The suit claimed there were some Bucks County, Pennsylvania, voters who were waiting in line before the 5 p.m. deadline to apply for a mail ballot, but they were told to go home.

A Pennsylvania judge sided Wednesday with the Trump-Vance campaign and extended the deadline through the end of the week.

“Does it seem like Donald Trump is laying the groundwork for contesting the election by complaining that cheating was taking place in Pennsylvania?” Capehart asked on the show. “By suing Bucks County for alleged irregularities. And this is on top of his continual assertion that if he loses, it’s because of cheating.”

Ruth Marcus, another columnist and associate editor, responded by saying “Uh yeah” and adding that Trump will go to “every courtroom he can in America where it’s relevant to make whatever arguments he can no matter how far-fetched.”



When Hewitt tried to interrupt, Capehart told him to let Marcus finish.

After Marcus finished her comments, Hewitt said, “We’re news people, even though it’s the opinion section. It’s got to be reported.”

“Bucks County was reversed by the court and instructed to open up extra days because they violated the law and told people to go home,” said Hewitt, adding the lawsuit was successful. He also said the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week to allow the state’s program aimed at removing noncitizens from the voter rolls.

“We are news people even though we have opinions,” said Hewitt, “and we have to report the whole story if we bring up part of the story.”

After Hewitt stopped speaking, there was a pause and then Marcus said she would let Capehart talk.

“I don’t appreciate being lectured about reporting when, Hugh. Many times you’ve come here saying lots of things that aren’t based in fact,” said Capehart.

Standing up from his seat, Hewitt said, “I won’t come back, Jonathan. I’m done. I’m done. This is most unfair election ad I’ve ever been a part of.”

Capehart then pivoted to trying to discuss a column Marcus wrote, but the show had technical difficulties after that and eventually ended.


Longtime Washington Post columnist Hugh Hewitt quits newspaper



David Rutz
F0X NEWS
Fri, November 1, 2024

Longtime Washington Post columnist Hugh Hewitt quit the newspaper on Friday, he told Fox News Digital.

Hewitt, a conservative who hosts a nationally syndicated radio show, had been a contributing columnist for the newspaper since 2017 and has written hundreds of pieces.

"I have in fact quit the Post, but I was only writing a column for them every six weeks or so," Hewitt told Fox News Digital, adding he'd recently offered to write another pro-Trump column for the paper ahead of the election. He informed editorial page editor David Shipley on Friday morning.

His last piece was published on Tuesday. He called on the MAGA movement to evolve if Trump is elected president again. He was a rare pro-Trump voice at the liberal outlet, whose opinion roster and editorial board lean sharply to the left, but his pieces touched on a wide variety of topics.

Washington Post Staffer Says Morale Is Down, Colleagues Think Management Is Lying: ‘A Lot Of Sad Here’

Hewitt quit after a clip of him went viral earlier on Friday when he walked off the Washington Post's online show, "First Look," with liberal columnists Jonathan Capehart and Ruth Marcus on its "Washington Post Live" platform. It came during a discussion of former President Trump's rhetoric around election integrity.

"Does it seem like Donald Trump is laying the groundwork for contesting the election by complaining that cheating was taking place in Pennsylvania?" Capehart asked Marcus. "By suing Bucks County for alleged irregularities, and this is on top of his continual assertion that if he loses, it's because of cheating."

Marcus said Trump had been preparing to blame an election loss on cheating for months.

"No election can be fair in Donald Trump's mind unless Donald Trump wins it," Marcus said.

As Marcus went on, Hewitt tried to interject, but Capehart snapped, "Let Ruth finish, Hugh."

"Well, I’ve just got to say, we’re news people, even though it’s the opinion section," Hewitt said. "It’s got to be reported. Bucks County was reversed by the court and instructed to open up extra days because they violated the law and told people to go home. So that lawsuit was brought by the Republican National Committee, and it was successful. The Supreme Court ruled that [Virginia Gov.] Glenn Youngkin was successful."

Jeff Bezos Addresses Washington Post Endorsement Fiasco, Cites Distrust In Media Led To 'Principled Decision'

"We are news people, even though we have opinions, and we have to report the whole story if we bring up part of the story," Hewitt added. "So, yes, he’s upset about Bucks County, but he was right, and he won in court. That’s the story."

After a brief pause, Capehart said, "I don't appreciate being lectured about reporting when, Hugh, many times, you've come here saying lots of things that aren't based in fact."

Hewitt stood up and said, "I won't come back, Jonathan. I'm done. I'm done. This is the most unfair election ad I've ever been a part of. You guys are working. That's fine. I'm done."

With that, he left, leaving a blank corner of the screen while Capehart went back to Marcus to talk about her column saying the stakes of the election were democracy and "decency."

But then Marcus' screen froze, and further technical difficulties derailed the show from there.

Reached for comment, a Washington Post spokesperson didn't respond to a question about Hewitt's exit but said, "As the newsroom’s live journalism platform, ‘Washington Post Live’ is known for its dynamic conversations and thought-provoking perspectives on top issues of the day, such as this morning's "First Look" program."

Washington Post Owner Jeff Bezos Wants More Conservative Opinion Writers At Paper: Report

Hewitt's leaving the Post comes on the heels of the decision, at the behest of owner Jeff Bezos, not to endorse a candidate for president this year. The Post's abdication set off an uproar among staffers and readers, leading to resignations and hundreds of thousands of canceled subscriptions.

Bezos also has reportedly called for having more conservative opinion writers, so Hewitt's departure is a blow to that goal.

The Post was set to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris — it hasn't backed a Republican for president since it began regularly offering White House endorsements in 1976 — before Bezos pulled the plug, citing efforts to rebuild trust with readers skeptical of the media.

Not a regular columnist for the newspaper, Hewitt had written only seven pieces for the Post in 2024 after penning 48 pieces for it alone in 2023.

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