Patterico catches LA Times columnist Michael Hiltzik using a couple of sock puppets. Hiltzik admitted making the posts but denied that they were deceptive. I disagree. It is not deceptive to use a pseudonym, but it is deceitful to have two identities pretend to be different people and support each other.
Still, his reponse is more honest than Michael Fumento, who I caught using a sockpuppet, and responded with three posts on his blog and a whole pile of comments on other blogs. He called me a liar, claimed that I was insane and falsely accused me of using sock puppets myself. What he didn't do was deny that Tracy Spenser was his sock puppet. Nor would he admit it.
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Fumento has now made three posts on his blog and a whole pile of comments on other blogs in response to my revealing his use of a sock puppet. He has called me a liar, claimed that I am insane and falsely accused me of using sock puppets myself. What he hasn't done is deny that Tracy Spenser was…
We last saw Fumento blundering around in a field of rakes. Now read on. John Fleck commented on the situation:
The thing is, Fumento is, at times, a quite talented journalist. But then, over and over again, he shows himself to be a complete tool.
My first encounter with his work was a solid take-…
After accidentally proving that he was using a sock on Wikipedia, Fumento is back for more. I think that putting a "(sic)" after misspellings is rather petty, but since Fumento does it when he quotes others, I've yielded to temptation and sicced all over his many spelling mistakes. Fumento begins…
The LA Times has cancelled
Michael Hiltzik's column because of his use of sock puppets. Cathy Seipp comments:
No matter what you think of the mainstream media, journalists generally try to be honest and Hiltzik's fundamental dishonesty meant he was lucky he wasn't fired. Not as punishment, but…
The LA Times has suspended Hiltzik.
I think it deceptiove to employ sock puppetry to promote or defend yourself, especially if you often chastize others for using sock puppets. Thuis is just what creationist Walter ReMine has done. Pretty pathetic, really.