damnnn should've probably left this one in the drafts folder overnight https://t.co/wAnXX4GwDd
— Manisha Krishnan (@ManishaKrishnan) January 17, 2018
@NickSloan212 I was a reporter at 22 years old. I would have died before sending something like this out (and I would have been unemployed in short order.)
— Karra Small (@ValerieParaso) January 17, 2018
22 year olds: one of the most important things you will learn in life is to please, please sit on any letters that make you feel righteous for *at least* a solid week
— Fan death fan (@FlashCadillack) January 17, 2018
. @maxwelltani obtained the full email that @k80way sent to @TVAshleigh's colleague – imagine thinking so highly of yourself that you send the last graf in an email…on top of the horrible comments about Ashleigh's appearance and age. https://t.co/lBjeADJd6l pic.twitter.com/7kx0yGoD9W
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) January 17, 2018
this is insane! if you want to prove your journalistic chops, don't send a deranged sexist email to another journalist making fun of the way she looks https://t.co/OHMeJyr8ik
— eve peyser (@evepeyser) January 17, 2018
When Katie Way was 6 years old, @TVAshleigh was dodging chunks of buildings toppling all around her on 9/11 — and reporting on it on live TV. I'm guessing Ashleigh isn't terribly shook by this. https://t.co/IxJuVHugZH
— Christy Lemire (@christylemire) January 17, 2018
The @babedotnet Aziz Ansari writer attacking another woman’s age,beauty & popularity is hugely disapointing. We’re already forced to combat “meangirl” stereotypes. This email advances them &hurts important conversations abt sexual misconduct &education sparked by the Ansari piece https://t.co/lRVyaw0s0U
— Stephanie Ruhle (@SRuhle) January 17, 2018
Okay on a serious note: That email that Katie Way, the Babe writer behind the Aziz Ansari story, sent to Ashleigh Banfield has me fucked up. Attacking Ashleigh's appearance and career in such a crass way is just shortsighted (and wrong.)
— Andrea González-Ramírez (@andreagonram) January 17, 2018
The Katie Way email is bad and embarrassing in every way, but even worse, it complete distracts from the way more important conversation we were supposed to be having.
— Brittany Van Horne (@_brittanyv) January 17, 2018
Quite a few felt that the situation was ripe for parody.
This is barely distinguishable from a Yelp review.
— James Miyazawa (@jmiyazawa) January 17, 2018
This is the Woke 2018 version of the Deranged Sorority Girl email https://t.co/ZSpZ3C4kDl
— Gabriella Paiella (@GMPaiella) January 17, 2018
I remember my first beer https://t.co/mtQ88kVlwI
— Shoshana Weissmann, Sloth Committee Chair (@senatorshoshana) January 17, 2018
This email violates rule no. 1 of The Awl essay "Some Advice For Young People," which is, "Why don’t you think about that over the weekend and if you still feel that way on Monday, you can totally send that email, okay?" https://t.co/oUmNfrAJs9
— Matt Pearce ? (@mattdpearce) January 17, 2018
Wow, that email to Ashleigh Banfield from Katie Way is like a note passed in 8th grade algebra class. At a private school.
— Ted Travelstead (@trumpetcake) January 18, 2018
Wow so rude of Katie Way to use my Tinder bio in her rage email and not even give me credit. pic.twitter.com/YgQhkRn5Gj
— Delaney Strunk (@delaknee) January 17, 2018
However, there were also many who sympathized with Way and felt that her response to all of the negative media coverage was not only understandable, but justified.
She’s getting dragged but…there are no lies here. https://t.co/jiW6jEzrN0
— Heidi N Moore (@moorehn) January 17, 2018
This entire situation is ugly. I read this as a young reporter—poorly served by her editors and hung out to dry—striking out on her last nerve https://t.co/SW1moX2lDs
— katherine krueger (@kath_krueger) January 17, 2018
so I have serious issues with this reporter and how she handled this story, but I'm kinda very here for how unflinchingly she's standing her ground here https://t.co/lts9ezawp2
— Natalie Shure (@nataliesurely) January 17, 2018
Not defending shots taken at personal appearances, but perhaps dragging a young person furious about victim-blaming is not a great use of our time.
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) January 17, 2018
For the record, Banfield did respond to Way’s email on the air, informing the young reporter that “if you truly believe in the #MeToo movement, if you truly believe in women’s rights, if you truly believe in feminism, the last thing you should do is attack someone in an ad hominem way for her age — I’m 50 — and for my highlights.”
Tonight on @CrimeJusticeHLN, @TVAshleigh speaks out on behalf of journalism and women's rights amid @azizansari's accuser sparking #MeToo backlash. https://t.co/QzHHqRHRox
— HLN Public Relations (@HLNPR) January 17, 2018
“I was brown-haired for a while when I was a war correspondent, interviewing Yasser Arafat, and in Afghanistan and Iraq, Gaza and the West Bank. Google those places,” Banfield added.
While it’s unclear what the professional outcome of this debacle will be, it’s pretty evident that Way is at least willing to go to bat for her sources. Unfortunately, all of this bat-swinging may very well be distracting everyone from the actual issues at hand.