Column: Editor fired for being right
Katy Knapp
Issue date: 3/30/05 Section: Opinion
I never thought the day would come when I would defend a Republican porn magazine editor, but it has arrived.
Michele Zipp was ousted as editor in chief of Playgirl magazine after she exposed her conservative voting record in an editorial in the April 2005 issue.
She defended herself by claiming Republicans are known for power and greed in this country, which are "two really sexy traits in the bedroom."
I do not agree with that statement at all. Maybe that is where she went wrong. It is possible that she alienated conservative readers with that remark as well. However, it was published in Playgirl magazine, and I'm assuming that sentiment is tame in comparison to some of the layouts.
In an e-mail to the Drudge Report, she claims backlash from the liberal left ensued almost immediately, and it wasn't too long after when her publishers relieved her of her duties. In the e-mail, she admitted that she suspected treason among her co-workers as part of the conspiracy against her.
She said underlings in her office expressed disinterest after learning they worked for a Republican editor. A top-ranking executive at Playgirl told her if he knew she was Republican, he never would have hired her, she said in the e-mail.
One thing that boggles my mind about this incident is how these "underlings" can claim to be liberal and openly work for a magazine centered around naked men but aren't tolerant of a woman who, rightly or wrongly, might tune in to Rush Limbaugh on her morning commute to work.
OK, before I go any further, I will admit that I have read Playgirl one time. Six years ago, my cousin Bette Anne - yes, that's her real name; she's from Arkansas - and I just turned 18 and wanted to do something that was previously restricted. So we went to The News Stand and bought a Playgirl. My cousin had never even been allowed to watch MTV, so this was some risqué business.
I don't remember much about the magazine except that it wasn't very impressive. We didn't look twice at it.
Michele Zipp was ousted as editor in chief of Playgirl magazine after she exposed her conservative voting record in an editorial in the April 2005 issue.
She defended herself by claiming Republicans are known for power and greed in this country, which are "two really sexy traits in the bedroom."
I do not agree with that statement at all. Maybe that is where she went wrong. It is possible that she alienated conservative readers with that remark as well. However, it was published in Playgirl magazine, and I'm assuming that sentiment is tame in comparison to some of the layouts.
In an e-mail to the Drudge Report, she claims backlash from the liberal left ensued almost immediately, and it wasn't too long after when her publishers relieved her of her duties. In the e-mail, she admitted that she suspected treason among her co-workers as part of the conspiracy against her.
She said underlings in her office expressed disinterest after learning they worked for a Republican editor. A top-ranking executive at Playgirl told her if he knew she was Republican, he never would have hired her, she said in the e-mail.
One thing that boggles my mind about this incident is how these "underlings" can claim to be liberal and openly work for a magazine centered around naked men but aren't tolerant of a woman who, rightly or wrongly, might tune in to Rush Limbaugh on her morning commute to work.
OK, before I go any further, I will admit that I have read Playgirl one time. Six years ago, my cousin Bette Anne - yes, that's her real name; she's from Arkansas - and I just turned 18 and wanted to do something that was previously restricted. So we went to The News Stand and bought a Playgirl. My cousin had never even been allowed to watch MTV, so this was some risqué business.
I don't remember much about the magazine except that it wasn't very impressive. We didn't look twice at it.
Anonymous posts are no longer allowed. They will not show up.
You must be logged in to post!