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Erik Wemple

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Erik Wemple
Alma materHamilton College
OccupationMedia critic

Erik Wemple is an American journalist who works as a columnist and media critic at The Washington Post. He was formerly the editor of the alternative weekly Washington City Paper.

Since 2017, Wemple has been known for feuding with now former Fox News host Tucker Carlson both on and off-air.[1][2][3]

Early life

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One of three sons of longtime Schenectady, New York-based Republican-Conservative New York State Assemblyman Clark C. Wemple,[4] he was raised in nearby Niskayuna, New York[5] and attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, graduating in 1986.[6]

Career

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Wemple began contributing articles to the Washington City Paper in the late 1990s. From January 1999 to November 2000, Wemple wrote the paper's political column, "Loose Lips", before becoming editor.[7] Previously, he was Washington correspondent for Inside.com and CableWorld magazine.[7]

In 2004, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies awarded Wemple and Josh Levin an Alternative Newsweekly Award for their article "Off Target", published in Washington City Paper.[8]

In June 2006, Wemple accepted the editor-in-chief position at The Village Voice. A month later, he announced he would not assume the position, stating that "the paper's ownership and I have failed to come to terms in our many discussions about moving forward, particularly with respect to newsroom management."[7][9]

In February 2010, Wemple informed the staff of the Washington City Paper that he was leaving to be the new editor of TBD.com.[10]

In 2013, J. K. Trotter of Gawker Media declared Wemple a "hero", and that "like a deeply embedded anthropologist, Wemple scours Washington media (and, not infrequently, their New York counterparts) for hypocrisy, excess, and corruption. He's the anti-Mike Allen, frequently piercing the Politico's madman's self-inflating bubble of hype at the moment it threatens to blot out the sun."[11]

In February 2017, Wemple appeared on Tucker Carlson's show to discuss media bias. In the interview Carlson criticized Wemple for not covering mistakes made by The Washington Post.[12][13] In 2021, Carlson criticized Wemple for contacting several of his college classmates and attempting to find "naughty" things he had done when he was 19. Carlson compared Wemple's investigation into him to politicians investigating their opponents' past scandals.[14] In 2022, Wemple wrote an opinion column about the allegations of nepotism against Carlson's son, Buckley Carlson. When reached for comment, Tucker Carlson responded "normal people understand it’s wrong to go after a man’s family, but you don’t because you’re a soulless ghoul who literally works for Jeff Bezos. Go fuck yourself".[15][16]

Personal life

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Wemple is married to Stephanie Mencimer, who, as of 2018, worked as a staff reporter in the Washington office of Mother Jones.[17]

Notes

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  1. ^ "Tucker Carlson Accuses Washington Post of Running 'Russian Propaganda' as News (Video)". Yahoo News. 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  2. ^ Moore, Thomas (2021-04-21). "Tucker Carlson blasts Washington Post columnist". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  3. ^ "Tucker Carlson Tells Washington Post Writer To 'F**k Yourself' For Buckley Carlson Question". Yahoo News. 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  4. ^ "the new york red book". williams press, inc. September 1, 1975 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ McGuire, Mark (2014-09-21). "Niskayuna native Wemple now a D.C. fixture". Daily Gazette. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
  6. ^ Denoon, Maggie (2020-02-17). "TEDxHamiltonCollege Tackles Political Divide". Hamilton College. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  7. ^ a b c "Erik Wemple". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Brief biography in the People Directory of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) (incl. hyperlinked archive to "In the News" articles by and about Wemple and his AAN award and honorable mention.)
  8. ^ "Alternative Newsweekly Award Winners Announced". Association of Alternative Newsmedia. 2004-06-27. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
  9. ^ Motoko Rich, "Before He Moves In, The Village Voice's Editor Moves On", The New York Times, June 16, 2006, accessed April 11, 2008.
  10. ^ "Washington City Paper Editor Erik Wemple is Leaving the Paper". Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  11. ^ J.K. Trotter. "Gawker Heroes: Erik Wemple". J.K. Trotter. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Tucker Carlson Accuses Washington Post of Running 'Russian Propaganda' as News (Video)". 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  13. ^ "Tucker Carlson Accuses Washington Post of Running 'Russian Propaganda' as News (Video)". sg.style.yahoo.com. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  14. ^ Moore, Thomas (2021-04-21). "Tucker Carlson blasts Washington Post columnist". The Hill. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  15. ^ "Tucker Carlson Tells Washington Post Writer To 'F**k Yourself' For Buckley Carlson Question". Yahoo News. 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  16. ^ Wemple, Erik (2022-10-24). "Opinion | Tucker Carlson, megalomaniac". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  17. ^ "Brett Kavanaugh's high school friend isn't helping the nominee's case". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
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