Former Gawker writer comes clean "James Franco is a violent gay rapist" story was made up for clicks

Last edited Sat Jul 18, 2015, 04:47 AM - Edit history (3)

"Sorting through the avalanche of condemnation following Gawker's role in the alleged blackmailing of David Geithner, something else caught my eye. In a now-deleted tweet, current Vanity Fair contributor Richard Lawson admitted:



In the series of tweets that followed, Lawson explained that he has a good deal of atoning to do, and meant merely to express that he could sympathize with the pressures faced by a young writer working under an unscrupulous superior. It's a tough situation, I admit. Young writers, reporters and editors often face enormous pressure from owners primarily interested in page views.

The first of Lawson's posts simply quoted a New York Post blind item that asked, "WHICH hunk in a summer movie is a violent, closeted homosexual? The heartthrob snuck into his ex's apartment a few months ago and raped him so violently, the ex ended up in the hospital - and the actor paid him $500,000 to keep his mouth shut." The Post item -- which may or may not be baseless itself -- offered no hints as to the identity of the alleged rapist and certainly mentioned no one by name.

Could the story, if true, have involved James Franco? Sure. In the same way that the guy who robbed that Park Slope 7/11 might have been Ben Kingsley. It's possible, but not really a theory that I, personally, would feel comfortable putting to print.

So how did Franco's name get mixed up in all of this?

A few days later, Gawker decided that the initial post was popular enough to spawn a franchise. They thought it would be fun (and offer more legal cover,) to let the readers decide who the rapist was--with a little nudging, of course. After a deeply half-hearted list of other "suspects,"

..

Remember, the author has since admitted that this was all, in his words, "baseless." This entire, elaborate scenario designed to lead one to believe that James Franco is an abusive psychopath who might break into your house and rape you.... was baseless.

Shocking, then, that the next day they could round up reactions with a post titled, The People Have Spoken, and They Think James Franco is a Rapist. Mission accomplished, Gawker HQ!"

more at source. Emphasis is mine.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-womack/james-franco-gawker_b_7816032.html

Gawker is nothing but Internet bullies. Their favorite target is powerful gay men. This is the same website that bullied Shephard Smith and Tim Cook to try and get them out of the closet.

Now it comes out they were on a multi-month crusader to prove James Franco is not only gay, but a gay rapist. There is absolutely no veracity to these claims.