Newsweek Retracts Story Celebrating Richard Spencer Getting Punched In The Face

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By Rachel Stoltzfoos

Newsweek has retracted a story celebrating the moment Richard Spencer got punched in the face on the streets of Washington.

The piece featured footage of an anarchist assaulting the alt-right leader as he is discussing his unpopular political views in an interview Friday, and was headlined: “The Infinite Joy Of Watching A Nazi Get Punched To Music.”

Richard Spencer got punched in the face during the protests at Trump’s #inauguration pic.twitter.com/oQAwtbtEeT

— Gender-Professecs (@MrTrunney) January 20, 2017

“On a day when many Americans were despairing over what they see as the transition of power to a fascist demagogue, it was a small moment of reprieve,” Joe Veix wrote in the piece, apparently trying to justify the use of violence to silence unwanted speech. He also mocked Spencer’s “frightened” and “pouty” reaction to getting punched, as if he should have expected it or deserved to be assaulted for expressing his views in public. He then follows with a string of videos of the assault set to various songs.

Within 15 minutes of publishing the story Tuesday morning, Newsweek removed it from the website and tweeted out a note regarding the retraction. “Newsweek has retracted a story about a meme related to the assault of Richard Spencer, published on Jan. 24,” reads the tweet.

Newsweek has retracted a story about a meme related to the assault of Richard Spencer, published on Jan. 24.

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 24, 2017

“The story did not meet the ethics and standards of Newsweek,” a follow-up tweet reads. “We regret its publication.”

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