An inside the Beltway knife fight broke out on Twitter last Monday pitting NBC’s, Luke Russert, and WaPo’s, Gene Weingarten against @FishbowlDC’s, Betsy Rothstein. Joining the fray, the WSJ’s, James Grimaldi whipped up some Pulitzer Prize winning drama of his own, calling Fish Bowl DC, “loathesome, [sic]” and condemned its piece poking fun at a WaPo intern by name.
So square he’s got corners, Russert opened the volley with this maiden shielding Tweet,
Luke Russert (@LukeRussert)
. Take shots at us professionals all you want @FishbowlDC but making fun of an intern is a new low. @rosiepowers looking forward to yr work
No doubt nose deep in something scatological at the time, WaPo’s Weingarten, the ringing of the dog whistle still buzzing in his ears, took to Twitter to twist the knife:
geneweingarten (@geneweingarten)
.@fishbowlDC 's snide takedown of a Wapo intern is right out of their playbook: Two-bit, petty, cruel bullying. Kindergarten muckrakers.
Embroidered with manufactured moral outrage, a brocaded stream of Tweets and Re-Tweets, began unraveling from the fingertips of some of D.C.’s finest journo’s.
JamesVGrimaldi (@JamesVGrimaldi)
totally agree w/ @geneweingarten + @lukerussert that @fishbowldc is loathesome http://t.co/tLD5vTqx
WaPo’s Former Executive Director of Digital News Katharine Zaleski affirmed him,
Katharine Zaleski (@kzaleski)
+ the coward who leaked @JamesVGrimaldi totally agree w/ @geneweingarten + @lukerussert that @fishbowldc is loathesome http://t.co/I4oD5Kqj
Stoking the blaze, Weingarten cherry-picked an older, incendiary Fishbowl piece and RT’d it, keeping the flame war white hot. Never shrinking, Rothstein wasn’t about to retreat without leaving a fresh coat of blood on the walls.
FishbowlDC (@FishbowlDC)
@geneweingarten Fact is, Gene, you've been upset w us ever since we didn't do an ass kiss writeup on that Washingtonian piece on you.
FishbowlDC (@FishbowlDC)
.@geneweingarten Gene, your avatar is a pile of poop. Enough said.
FishbowlDC (@FishbowlDC)
.@JamesVGrimaldi Right Grimaldi, and your reporting never involves internal docs - your assessment and double standard is what's loathsome.
At one point, Weingarten warned Rothstein that, if everybody agrees she’s a snake, it’s probably best if she didn’t respond by hissing. Heeding that, Rothstein howled instead, taking a flame thrower to the whole joint with this.
And the chew toy getting her guts tugged out on Twitter all week, WaPo’s Rosie the intern, where was she in all of this?
Rosie Powers (@rosiepowers)
@FishbowlDC Thanks for the follow/mention!!
