Tyler Skaggs reporting: "I'm not saying, I'm just saying"

Mugsy's Jock

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Kind of a disgusting story about a local Santa Monica newspaper that wrote up a rumor about Skaggs' death possibly deriving from opiate use, then spiked the story when rumors that it might be published somehow got out. Gee, I wonder how people found out this story was getting researched.

The manipulative way the Santa Monica Observer put the story out there just far enough to evade out and out libel is gross. Maybe there is something as-yet not reported about Skaggs' death -- toxicology reports in the next few weeks will make that clear enough. Meantime, there's no rationale or excuse for gun-jumping aside from a narcissistic need to get in the spotlight.

https://deadline.com/2019/07/la-angels-tyler-skaggs-death-santa-monica-observer-explains-opioid-overdose-story-1202642732/
Edit: "Libel", not "perjury". Duh.
 
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InstaFace

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Perjury? Do you mean "libel"?

They published unfounded speculation about the cause of death, and pulled the story after they got death threats from the internet pile-on brigade (and a C&D from the Angels' counsel). I won't call the article responsible journalism, and I'm sure it suffers from the increasing attitude in the profession of "better first and wrong than second and right". But I'm not sure there's anything super-evil going on, either. This isn't an Alex Jones / Newtown conspiracy theories situation. There are times, places and manners in which to publish informed speculation, there's a ton of bad factual reporting out there anyway, etc. Even the least charitable interpretation of the Observer here probably has a justified punishment of "they lose readers and get scorned" rather than "death threats" and "talk of felonies".
 

terrynever

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To call the Observer a newspaper is a bit of a stretch. In existence for 21 years, a weekly, proudly boasts Trump’s Steve Miller as a previous contributor to its opinion page, newspaper admits it seeks controversy. Link is from the Observer website.

https://www.smobserved.com/about
 

shaggydog2000

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To call the Observer a newspaper is a bit of a stretch. In existence for 21 years, a weekly, proudly boasts Trump’s Steve Miller as a previous contributor to its opinion page, newspaper admits it seeks controversy. Link is from the Observer website.

https://www.smobserved.com/about
You mean Stephen Miller
Not Steve Miller


Right?

One of them likes peaches and shakin trees. The other ate glue as a kid.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Jan 23, 2009
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To call the Observer a newspaper is a bit of a stretch. In existence for 21 years, a weekly, proudly boasts Trump’s Steve Miller as a previous contributor to its opinion page, newspaper admits it seeks controversy. Link is from the Observer website.

https://www.smobserved.com/about
It's on par with the Weekly World News and National Inquirer, only with a distinctly right-wing bent. As disturbing and distasteful as it is for them to publish anything about Tyler Skaggs, they're getting exactly what they want...attention. It's been justifiably been classified as a fake news site.