The Economist created a furor when it mischaracterized conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro as part of the “alt-right” in a story published Thursday.
The article, a question-and-answer feature about his politics and his new book, The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great, initially featured the headline “Inside the mind of Ben Shapiro, the alt-right sage without the rage.”
As soon as the story hit the web, its assertion that Shapiro was part of the alt-right — a loose affiliation known for extremism, racism, and anti-Semitism — drew ire and ridicule, ultimately leading to The Economist apologizing and changing the headline.
Shapiro has in fact been a staunch critic of the fringe movement — and a frequent target himself.
The author took to Twitter after the article was published, writing: “.@TheEconomist, this is a vile lie. Not only am I not alt-right, I am probably their leading critic on the right. I was the number one target of their hate in 2016 online according to ADL data. I demand a retraction.”
.@TheEconomist, this is a vile lie. Not only am I not alt-right, I am probably their leading critic on the right. I was the number one target of their hate in 2016 online according to ADL data. I demand a retraction. https://t.co/5p2ClA0mby
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) March 28, 2019
After being berated by hundreds on social media over the mischaracterization, The Economist changed its headline to, “Inside the mind of Ben Shapiro, a radical conservative.”
Shapiro told the Washington Examiner Thursday that although he is confused by The Economist labeling him as a “radical” conservative he is glad they retracted the original headline.
“My initial thought was that the headline was patently insane and ridiculous, that I rip the alt-right throughout my book and have done so continuously for years in all my work,” Shapiro said.
“My thoughts on the new headline: I’m not sure what makes me a ‘radical’ conservative as opposed to a mainstream conservative, but I’m glad they apologized for their defamatory label,” he added.
Shapiro, who is an Orthodox Jew, runs the news organization The Daily Wire. His company’s own website describes the alt-right as espousing racist ideology that does not fit with the conservative motif.
“The Alt-Right is not conservative; its leaders vociferously reject prominent conservative thinkers, ideas of human equality, core Judeo-Christian values, and the concept of America as a nation built on ideas, rather than racial or ethnic identity,” the website reads.
We have deleted an earlier tweet for an article that mischaracterised Ben Shapiro, who has been strongly critical of the alt-right movement. We apologise. Here is the article https://t.co/ZmfgU6Gw2r
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) March 28, 2019
The Economist issued an apology after Thursday’s backlash, writing on Twitter: “We have deleted an earlier tweet for an article that mischaracterised Ben Shapiro, who has been strongly critical of the alt-right movement. We apologise.”
