Gay Olympian Amini Fonua Has Words for the Grindr-in-Rio Journalist; Slate, 8/11/16

J. Bryan Lowder, Slate; Gay Olympian Amini Fonua Has Words for the Grindr-in-Rio Journalist:

"The queer internet was dominated on Thursday by backlash to Nico Hines' exploitative Daily Beast story on athletes' use of sex apps in Rio, with condemnation from LGBTQ press-watchers (including us here at Outward) being universal. But, likely for reasons relating to safety and focus, we've heard relatively little from athletes themselves. That changed Thursday afternoon when Amini Fonua, an Olympic swimmer and gay man representing Tonga at the Rio games, let fly a tweet storm that powerfully captures the damage this story will cause...

As of 5:30 p.m., the article was still posted on the Daily Beast site

Update, 9:18 p.m.: Later on Thursday evening, the Daily Beast took down the piece entirely."

Straight Writer Blasted For ‘Outing’ Olympians In Daily Beast Piece; Huffington Post, 8/11/16

Curtis M. Wong, Huffington Post; Straight Writer Blasted For ‘Outing’ Olympians In Daily Beast Piece:

"The backlash from other media outlets, predictably, was swift. Blasting Hines’s article as a “dangerous disaster” and “a wildly unethical train wreck,” Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern wrote, “Hines may view his Grindr-baiting as all fun and games. For the victims of his unprincipled journalism, however, his nasty little piece has the power to ruin lives.”

Many were specifically concerned that Hines’s piece was outing athletes, especially those from countries like Russia and Jamaica where it’s dangerous for people to be openly LGBT. Added Mic’s Mathew Rodriguez: “Sure, queer sexuality can be a fascinating topic for journalism — when it’s done respectfully and, hopefully, by someone with ties to the community. But just booting up an app and seeing that people like sex isn’t journalism, and the tone stigmatizes gay sexuality even further.”...

After the story was published, a note by Daily Beast Editor-in-Chief John Avlon appeared at the bottom of the piece, noting that “all descriptions of the men and women’s profiles that we previously described” had been removed."