He Needs to Overcome Himself.

Wow.

Ms. Reed:

I’ve been undergoing radiation treatment for testicular cancer and, since I no longer have health insurance, I’ve been feverishly struggling and figuring out how to pay for my treatment. All of this, of course, has taken up my time and energy; except for the few moments I’ve spent searching for some relief.

With regards to verifying the comments, I’m in STL undergoing treatment, again, and not in NY, thus I lack access to my notebooks (which I took for most stories) to address these matters. Moreover, after finally looking over the notes sent to me, I must say this: I had a habit of writing drafts of stories, placing the names of ppl I wanted to get quotes from in there, and then going to fetch the quotes.

(Was it sloppy? Yes? But I’m a cub reporter and expected a sustained and competent editor to guide me, something which I never had at your company and something with which The Intercept continues to struggle as everyone in this business knows.)

But, I digress; back to the situation before us.

If I couldn’t obtain a quote from the person I wanted, I went somewhere else, and must’ve forgot to change the names—clearly. Also, yes I encouraged some of my interviewees to use another name; they’re poor black people who didn’t want their names in the public given the situations and that was the only way of convincing them otherwise. That also explains why some of them didn’t want to talk with your company’s research team or denied the events. These weren’t articles in Harpers or The Nation. Instead, these are the lives of people forgotten by society and their being in public and talking to white, NY people, no less, could harm and turn them off. They’ve lost loved ones to violence you and others couldn’t possibly imagine.

Ultimately, the journalism that covers the experiences of poor black folk and the journalism others, such as you and First Look, are used to differs drastically. This dilemma is the Great Problem with the white media organizations that dominate our media landscape. As Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote: “The standard [white] progressive approach of the moment is to mix color-conscious moral invective with color-blind public policy.” Such an approach ignores the differences in the way we must navigate these various fields: including journalism.

The comments from editors calling me a stray dog; the lower pay; the being told on a trip to DC that I “shouldn’t spend like it’s the first of the month”. I shrugged it all off.

I hope you and your company can understand all this and give me time to recover so that I may eventually look over my notes. I must say, though, it’s a very nefarious and ill liberal and anti humanist position to take if you do otherwise: kicking a cancer patient when he’s down. I’ve been through a lot tougher situations than this and will weather anything thrown my way.

Ms. Reed, I also just read Counsel Oberlander’s letter. I’m not in NY and have been sick and bed-ridden from radiation so of course I can’t return that laptop—that I also broke by the way. But if your company wishes to withhold my separation pay, which I was banking on for my treatment, go right ahead. I’m also owed reimbursement from the trip to DC which I haven’t received. But I’m not angry because, naturally, I didn’t bring this up because my focus is on much more important things.

Juan Thompson

Read the whole thing for the extent of the duplicity, including misrepresenting a 4-month internship at WBEZ in Chicago.  Just wow.

Juan M. Thompson ‏@JuanMThompson 21h21 hours ago
Want to know what a Trump speech sounds like w/o the poll bragging and bravado? Listen to his speech tonight. #IowaCaucus
0 retweets 5 likes
2. Juan M. Thompson ‏@JuanMThompson 21h21 hours ago

   .@realDonaldTrump in his concession speech sounded like the like rich white boy I beat for student council treasurer in school. #IowaCaucus

   11 retweets 37 likes
4. Juan M. Thompson ‏@JuanMThompson 21h21 hours ago

   .@realDonaldTrump in a VERY short concession speech sounds like he's been crying tonight. Those white tears are wonderful. #IowaCaucus

   14 retweets 40 likes
6. Juan M. Thompson ‏@JuanMThompson Jan 12

   4) Find out I have testicular cancer today and my parents abused by police state. Welcome to poor America. #SOTU
   
    

Thompson allegedly made up stories reporting on the South Carolina church killings, including fabricating a story with the white killer's alleged cousin that got picked up in the mainstream press.