Want to know why journalism in the early 21st century sucks? Because the field is inhabited by folks like the Miami Herald’s Leonard Pitts Jr. Gone are any sort of actual fact-finding and objectivity, and in their place is unadulterated, elitist partisanship under the guise of “doing what’s best for the country.”

Pitts’ article archive is full of eye-rollers featuring headlines like “Republicans Cheated to Win, and We All Lost” (because voter ID laws … which are overwhelmingly supported by the public) or this gem, “A Country That Gases Children is a Very Small One, Indeed” (because rock-throwing migrants attempting to cross the southern border were subjected to tear gas … even though the previous, Obama, administration did the very same thing, to which Pitts gives but a passing, grudging reference).

So it comes as little surprise that he delves into yet another topic half-cocked — that of ComicsGate.

Pitts’ piece is much like that of the New Statesman which recently was dissected by Bleeding Fool’s own Avi Green. In other words, poor comics creators getting are picked on by evil, disgruntled fans. Racism. Misogyny. Homophobia … blah blah blah.

No objective person would deny there are those on social media who have indulged in this sort of nonsense, but this minority of anonymous dolts is the sole focus of journalists. (Those who keep up on politics may notice a similar pattern: “Journalists” conflate all conservatives and the entire Republican Party with far-right lunatics; meanwhile, far-left nutjobs … well, they’re merely an “outlier” … that is, if they’re not getting  favorable coverage!)

ComicsGate, such that it is, has been around a long time — a lot longer than the term itself. Take a gander at the date of this post from yours truly, for example. Check out the archives of the aforementioned site of Avi Green. Same for Douglas Ernst. We three and others have taken on the naked partisanship, social media nastiness, and outrageous hypocrisy of modern comics creators for well over a decade.

And in case Mr. Pitts cares, there was no harassment or threats; creators merely hated the fact that long-time comic book fans were making the most of the means to voice their opinions … to counter the petty narratives many creators were peddling on social media and worse, in their books. Stuff like Dan Slott comparing fans wanting to keep Spider-Man a white guy to Jim Crow laws. David Walker telling critics to “eat a bag of dicks.” Nick Spencer calling all Republicans “evil” (and then doubling down on it). And perhaps “best” of all, the perpetually angry Mark Waid telling a fan to “fuck off” and to “never read his comics again” because … disagreement!

Perhaps Pitts’ next column can delve into the startling unprofessionalism of these so-called “professionals.” But I won’t hold my breath.