Popehat Explained

Popehat is a law-oriented blog.[1] According to its tagline, Popehat is a "group complaint about law, liberty, and leisure". Its primary blogger, American attorney Ken White,[2] writes about law, scams, and freedom of expression on the Internet[3] in a blunt, often crass style. A Twitter account under the same name was later established, and amassed hundreds of thousands of followers.

History

Popehat was established in 2005, "aborted because we have lives," and restarted in 2007. After having a low profile for many years, the blog came to widespread attention in 2012 for its coverage of The Oatmeal and FunnyJunk legal dispute involving Charles Carreon, as well as the US Olympic Committee's cease and desist letters to knitters on Ravelry for scheduling a "Ravelypmics."[4] It has also covered swatting,[5] IsAnybodyDown?,[6] Prenda Law,[7] scam letters,[8] and SLAPP issues.[9] The blog sometimes helps arrange pro bono counsel for affected bloggers (the "Popehat Signal")[10] including PZ Myers.[11]

It has been repeatedly linked by Boing Boing, Instapundit, John Scalzi, Techdirt, and others and was included in the ABA Journal "Blawg 100" in 2011,[12] 2012,[13] 2013,[14] and 2014.[15] In 2015, Popehat was inducted into the ABA Journal Blawg Hall of Fame.[16]

The blog was originally anonymous[17] but White's identity was eventually uncovered.[18] White, a former assistant US attorney, was a partner at Brown, White and Osborn as of 2020.[19] White's fellow bloggers (anonymous or known to various degrees) have included Adam Steinbaugh,[20] Charles, David, Derrick, Grandy, Marc Randazza, Patrick, and a bovine character named Via Angus.

In January 2009, the Popehat Twitter account was established. Known for updating his handle to reflect Twitter's trending topic of the day, primary tweeter Ken White continues to comment on legal issues in a humorous but substantive way. He is generally an advocate for broad free speech rights and reform of the criminal justice system.[21] [22] [23]

In August 2020, the original blog website announced that it was being discontinued and would be preserved only as a historical artifact, with new posts going to a replacement Substack site instead.[24]

Popehat's Twitter account was cited in 2021 as helping spearhead sarcastic responses to Texas Representative Dan Crenshaw's form for Internet users to submit stories of "woke" impositions on the military.[25]

Ken White left Twitter in December 2022.[26]

DPRK News Service

Two of the blog's writers, Patrick (who died in September 2022) and Derrick, run a satirical Twitter feed purporting to be the voice of North Korea which parodies the style and content of North Korean state media.[27] [28] Greta van Susteren, Slate,[29] the Washington Post, Newsweek,[30] CNN,[31] and Reuters Australia have mistakenly identified the feed as authentic.[32] On the MSNBC television program Morning Joe, journalist Mark Halperin cited the feed as evidence that the government of North Korea was expressing support for Donald Trump.[33] [34]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wofford . Taylor . 23 December 2014 . Interview with the Authors of the Fake North Korean Twitter Account that Fooled Newsweek . 17 August 2023 . Newsweek.
  2. Web site: Stop Demanding Dumb Answers To Hard Questions .
  3. Web site: Posts by author Ken White . Popehat . 2015-03-17.
  4. Web site: SHG . 2015-11-11 . Cross: Ken White, The Man Beneath The Popehat . 2023-08-17 . Simple Justice . en.
  5. Web site: The Kimberlin Saga . Popehat . 2015-03-17.
  6. Web site: Is Anybody Down? . Popehat . 2015-03-17.
  7. Web site: Prenda Law . Popehat . 2015-03-17.
  8. Web site: Anatomy of a Scam . 26 September 2011 . Popehat . 2015-03-17.
  9. Web site: Anti-SLAPP . Popehat . 2015-03-17.
  10. Web site: The Popehat Signal . Popehat . 2015-03-17.
  11. Web site: Last word for now. 13 August 2013. Pharyngula.
  12. Web site: The 5th Annual Blawg 100 . ABA Journal . 2011-12-01 . 2015-03-17.
  13. Web site: The 6th Annual Blawg 100 . ABA Journal . 2012-12-01 . 2015-03-17.
  14. Web site: The 7th Annual Blawg 100 . ABA Journal . 2013-12-01 . 2015-03-17.
  15. Web site: The 2014 ABA Journal Blawg 100 . ABA Journal . 2014-12-19 . 2015-03-17.
  16. Web site: The 2015 ABA Journal Blawg 100 Hall of Fame . ABA Journal . 2015-12-01 . 2015-12-14.
  17. Web site: Why I Blog Anonymously, And Why It's OK: Ed Whelan of NRO Outs Blogger Publius of Obsidian Wings . Popehat . 8 June 2009. 2013-11-03.
  18. Web site: O'Keefe . Kevin . Popehat unmasked : For a good cause . Kevin.lexblog.com . 2011-12-30 . 2013-11-03.
  19. Web site: How is the lawyer known as 'Popehat' on Twitter keeping busy during the pandemic? . 2023-08-17 . www.americanbar.org . en.
  20. https://www.thefire.org/resources/fire-staff-speakers/adam-steinbaugh/ Adam
  21. Web site: White . Ken . 2017-06-08. Op-Ed: Actually, hate speech is protected speech. 2020-07-12. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
  22. Web site: White. Ken. 2019-03-09. 6 Reasons Paul Manafort Got Off So Lightly. 2020-07-12. The Atlantic. en-US.
  23. Web site: White. Ken. 2019-08-13. Thirty-Two Short Stories About Death in Prison. 2020-07-12. The Atlantic. en-US.
  24. https://www.popehat.com/2020/08/27/now-posting-at-substack/ Now Posting At Substack
  25. News: Alex . Horton . Rep. Dan Crenshaw's search for 'woke military' complaints draws ridicule — and war movie quotes . . 2021-06-03 . August 5, 2022 .
  26. https://popehat.substack.com/p/goodbye-twitter Goodbye, Twitter
  27. News: North Korea's News Service Barely Needs to be Spoofed but This Duo Nails It. . . 2016-04-21.
  28. Web site: DPRK News Service. . 2015-12-14.
  29. News: North Korea's Internet Is Down, and It's Probably Not a Coincidence . Lily Hay . Newman . 22 December 2014 . . 2015-12-14.
  30. News: Benny . Avni . U.N. Security Council to Debate North Korea Human Rights . 22 December 2014 . . 2015-12-14.
  31. News: Ed . Payne . Jim . Acosta . Kevin . Liptak . North Korea pushes back against U.S. sanctions for Sony hack . 4 January 2015 . . 2015-12-14.
  32. Web site: Popehat overview of hoax picked up by mainstream media. . 20 December 2014 . Popehat.com . 2015-12-14.
  33. Web site: Why Do Media Outlets Still Fall Victim to Twitter Parody. . Rachel . Pick . motherboard.vice.com . 2015-12-14.
  34. News: Adam . Taylor . No, North Korea Did Not Offer Support for Noted Scholar Donald Trump. . WashingtonPost.com . 2015-12-14.

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