Gawker: slapfights

Richard Johnson Won't Let Source Burn Him Twice

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:56:53 EDT

Last month, Page Six ran an item about a sex tape featuring Bam Margera Bam-ing the fiancee of radio shock jock Opie. Opie said the whole thing was false, and offered $100,000 to anyone who could produce the tape. A couple of weeks later the Post ran a retraction of the item—but laid the blame at the feet of Steppin' Out editor Chaunce Hayden, who they said gave them the bad info in the first place. Well Chaunce Hayden, unrepentant media whore, wouldn't let such a thing pass without turning it into a feud! And he helpfully forwarded on the snippy emails between himself and Page Six boss Richard Johnson. Watch out for flying spittle!

When Chaunce Hayden sent out an email blast this week, he got this back:

From Richard Johnson to Chaunce Hayden: We're not using stuff from you at this time, or possibly ever again. My boss was furious we had to run a correction. It is an embarrassment to the entire newspaper. Don't you get it? Don't waste your time sending us items. We're not going to use them.

OH YEA?

From Chaunce Hayden to Richard Johnson: Well Richard... it wasn't that much of an embarrassment for you. After all, you took the cowards way out and blamed me for your bad reporting. I told Bill I never saw the tape and that I was told about the tape from an ex employee of the O&A show. But you didn't have the guts to take the hit for it. You should know I got several emails from your co-workers who thought what you did was a disgrace. But I'm sure you already know that.
How hypocritical of you to take hundreds of items from me for nearly 20 years and one goes sour and you throw me under the bus. What kind of person are you? You should be ashamed.
But again... I'm sure you already know that.

[pictured: Chaunce's hardcore tat]

Rafael Cruz, the man who was taped getting ...

Maggie — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:40:24 EST

Rafael Cruz, the man who was taped getting slapped silly by a bunch of girls on the A train, is offsetting the loss of his dignity by pressing charges against his slappers. Cruz made an official complaint to the New York Transit Police late Monday evening. When asked why he sat there and took it, Cruz said he didn't fight back because he didn't want to hit a woman. No, of course not! But we bet you'd sure like to shake the shit out of one for putting it up on the web. [WNBC]

Dude Slapped By Girls On Subway; 'Post' Sounds The Race Alarm

Maggie — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:20:00 EST

If you miss the A train, you'll find you've missed the quickest way to a beating, unlike this poor guy, who was tag-teamed by a group of teenage girls on the subway line last month. The Smoking Gun has the full video, which the Post snapped up into a neat little interactive race-baiting package! When the paper first posted the story, it included the detail that the victim was "a white male," without identifying the race of the the ladies laying into him. The story has since been changed—now it's a complete and total mystery as to which participant was what color. Um, unless you watch the video or something.

Katie Couric Is Not Totally Comfortable At CBS News

abalk — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:40:09 EDT

What you need to know about that interminable Katie Couric profile in this week's New York: Katie has had some second thoughts about taking the job, Katie thinks people are resistant to change, Katie understand the schadenfreude that everyone feels about her poor ratings, Katie's upset about CBS News' parsimonious budget (while fellow newsers blame the paltry amount of funding on the fact that most of the money is going to Katie), the 2008 election will make or break Katie's anchor career. Also, she once beat a news editor to death with a tire iron because he put the word "sputum" in her broadcast? One more thing: New York magazine will let Joe Hagan write as many words as he wants. And that's the way it is.

Alas, Poor Couric [NYM]
[Image: Getty]