• Jon Friedman points to Time.com as evidence that the magazine industry is finally understanding the web. Our first (and last) clue, however, was ShopVogue.com. [Marketwatch]
• Project Runway racked up 5.4 million fags, fag hags, and their malteses for a ratings record-breaking finale. [AP]
• Recovering former ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff is putting together a primetime special and book about his Iraq war injury and recovery. Set to air next spring, it'll coincide nicely with another half dozen journalists kidnapped by then. [AP]
• The first substantial inkling that Jesse Oxfeld, in the lovely tradition of other ex-Gawker editors, carries on the source torch. [Gawker]
• GLAAD is keeping mum on the Mark Foley scandal so as to not elevate the voice of congressional pederasts and their sympathizers. [Queerty]
• Finally, a non-depressing explanation for why bloggers are never sober. [Blogebrity]
• Maybe Graydon Carter changed his mind. Or, maybe Radar was just wrong. Either way, neither would be a first. [FBNY]
• Ok, an ok word for an Arianna Huffington entourage would be "Ari-entourage." But, come on … "Arianntourage" anyone? [The Phoenix]
• Jessica Simpson got her hair did … but she forgot about the "get yer nails done" part. [OAN]
• What you don't know about Vincent Gallo can't hurt you. And this new information hurts, so click at your own risk. [Oh No They Didn't]
• These guys are definitely making a case for more women to be in government. If only Mark Foley and Jim McGreevey didn't have to make it sohard for the gays. [Wonkette]
So, you know how news outlets aren't really supposed to reveal victims of sex crimes' names? Well, ABC News Online had a little accident. And slipped the screen name of a congressional page Mark Foley's allegedly had sexual conversations with via IM. Whoops!
The news broke last night on the website Passionate America. And now Drudge has the report:
"We go to great lengths to prevent the names of alleged sex crime victims from being revealed. On Friday there was a very brief technical glitch on our site which was overridden immediately. It is possible that during that very brief interval a screen name could have been captured. Reviews of the site since then show no unredacted screen names."
Drudge also reveals that ABC's reported IM conversation (we're pretty sure they're talking about the same one … but Drudge never really makes much sense) was with an underage male … while Drudge found evidence somewhere in his lair that the kid was actually over 18.
And while it's still wrong for ABC to leak the screen name of anyone, if the name they released was a kid's who was over 18, then he's not a victim of a sexual crime. And it really wouldn't be that huge of a deal. Which is probably the only reason Drudge didn't use his flashing siren.
ABC ONLINE GLITCH LEADS TO IDENTITY OF FOLEY ACCUSER
FAMOUS IM EXCHANGE WAS WITH 18 YEAR OLD Drudge Report
When you have a politician who is said to a) be gay b) seduce minors over the Internet and c) have been molested by priests as a kid, the media is left with d: one complicated story on their hands.
And ABC likes to keep things simple. Which may be why they recently decided to pull a story, published Friday afternoon on the Mark Foley scandal from their site. The author of the pulled piece was J. Jennings Moss, a freelancer who claims he outed Foley in the Advocate 10 years ago. His report on Foley focused on some of those details, and was inexplicably pulled.
A number of blogs picked up the story before it was removed from ABCNews.com on Sunday. Moss says he was informed Monday that the piece had been removed, but was not told why. When Moss reached editor Steve Alpern Tuesday, Moss says Alpern thanked him for the piece but that its removal was an "editorial decision." When pressed, according to Moss, Alpern said the piece was "creating confusion."
We admit, it does get kind of confusing. Fox is calling Foley a Democrat, Moss is calling him gay, the New York Times is saying he was molested by priests, and Foley just blames it all on the drink. Queerty calls out what a mess this is for the current red-dominated administration … not to mention the media.
While not as dramatic as "I'm a gay American," the revelation certainly complicates matters further. Not only do we have a member of America's ruling party coming out as a gay man who's been violated by a so-called man of God, but has also gone on to pursue sex with young boys.
We think what they mean is, "if only we had mainstream news outlets that didn't insist on keeping silent about homosexuality, maybe fewer closeted politicians would molest 16-year-olds." Thanks for doing your part, ABC!
ABCNews.com Pulls Foley Sexuality Story [Fishbowl, NY]
ABC.com Pulls Foley Story [Queerty]
• Anna Nicole Smith's crazy ex boyfriend wants a paternity test. Even though he and Anna Nicole probably haven't done it in like a year. [E!]
• Oh, God, Bobby Brown. Can't you just pay the woman? [AP]
• LavaLife: the online magazine for the "young, urban, unattached crowd." Aka: weirdo losers who aren't having much luck on Craigslist. [Mediaweek]
• Wait … isn't it a good thing for Mark Foley to be totally off the Internet? [ETP]
• Even celebrities look bad sometimes. Usually it's Oprah … or Cameron Diaz. But sometimes, if we're lucky, it's Lindsay Lohan. [Mollygood]
• Time Out! Micky Rourke is screaming things like "fag" and "deformed douchebag." [Queerty]
• Gothamist is now chronicling every shooting, every fire, and every pedestrian hit by a cab with their real-time mapping technology. If you're bored … laughing at people getting stabbed is always entertaining. [Gothamist]
• The most frightening thing about Brooklyn? The squirrels that will attack your garden. And the fascinating microcosm that erupts when New Yorkers get two square feet of space they call a "yard." [NYT]
• Right here in New York, on Good Morning America, Mark Foley inadvertently called himself a "creepy old guy." Kind of makes Lloyd Grove look a little less COG-y. [Lowdown]
• Nobody told Michael Musto that Avalon closed down? Shame, shame. [Musto]
As the tale of Mark Foley's sordid online pedophilia continues, websites are popping up with what many allege are copies of the e-mail chats between Mark Foley and his underage congressional pages. This particular site was pulled from the Huffington Post, which leads us to put a little more faith in its validity. But, then again, it could be completely fake. For Foley's sake, we hope it is, because this shit is pretty sick.
After hitting on what is seemingly a high school lacrosse player ("How's my favorite young stud doing?" "Love to watch that/Those great legs running") he goes on to ask the kid about his own personal masturbation techniques. (We know, it's pretty graphic. But the Times sure isn't gonna' run it, so somebody has to.)
Maf54 (7:53:54 PM): do you really do it face down
[redacted screenname] (7:54:03 PM): ya
Maf54 (7:54:13 PM): kneeling
[redacted screenname] (7:54:31 PM): well i dont use my hand…i use the bed itself
Maf54 (7:54:31 PM): where do you unload it
[redacted screenname] (7:54:36 PM): towel
Maf54 (7:54:43 PM): really
Maf54 (7:55:02 PM): completely naked?
[redacted screenname] (7:55:12 PM): well ya
Maf54 (7:55:21 PM): very nice
So, now Foley is in rehab is to cure his love for high school boys. We're not sure that works unless he only wants to molest children when he's drunk. But at least he won't have access to IM.
Mark Foley instant message chats with Congressional page [Page One Q]
Ex-Rep. Foley Checks in to Alcohol Rehab [ABC]
Editorial Director
