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Last night, SMH reporter Asher Moses was twittering about the Johns/rugby ‘gang bang’ business.

Moses twitters under his own name, with “Technology Reporter, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age” in his bio. He wrote to the world:

“So Matthew Johns’ career is over because a slutty groupy had consensual group sex with him and his teammates 7 yrs ago and now regrets it?”

Because Asher Moses’ remarks have been deleted from his twitter timeline by him, but are still there (perhaps temporarily) on a twitter search, here’s a screenshot. (Read from bottom to top.)

[For those not familiar with the medium, the first name on the line is the author; any name preceded by @ is a reply to the person of that name.]

Immediate responses varied, but included:

JeanBurgess: @Mosesmoses are you serious? plasmaegg: @Mosesmoses not sure whose worse – John’s who people like you who think its ok babycakesjase: @Mosesmoses So how much agency does a single19 year old girl have surrounded by a bunch of footy players? Me9_normalMoses_normal

Jen_Bennett: @Mosesmoses I think you might be about to get your derrier kicked on twitter.

Moses furiously tried to defend his remarks before deleting them:

Mosesmoses: @plasmaegg @jeanburgess According to Johns (and I guess the cops who cleared), the woman raised no objections and was actually instigating..

But wasn’t getting far:

trackta: fuck off Mosesmoses glittertrash: @Mosesmoses: Fuck, dude, could you please not refer to a woman at the centre of a story of arguable/blurred consent as a ‘slutty groupy’?

Then there were those who supported him:

StuartLivesey: @Mosesmoses watch it mate – the bloodhounds are out there baying for blood and they don’t care about the truth

He tried again:

Mosesmoses: Maybe i’m being overly sympathetic to Johns after watching him on ACA. But still, he didn’t do anything illegal. Immoral? Opinions vary..

But still wasn’t getting far:

_gnosis: SMH need to train their technology reporter in how to use social media http://twitter.com/Mosesmoses/status/1782753262 (note that that url now leads to a chirpy “This page doesn’t exist!” error message)

plasmaegg: @Mosesmoses of course they are going to say that… WTF did you expect them to say – yeah we gang banged her against her will?

Moses tried a bit of PPQ:

Mosesmoses: @glittertrash How is it blurred?

Blokes stepped in to be the Balanced Voices of Reason and/or Denial:

bigyahu: @Mosesmoses his career’s not over. He’s been sacked by a network that cares about what its female middle class audience thinks. bengrubb: @Mosesmoses The issue remains as to whether it was consensual. I didn’t watch ACA, so don’t know whether he said otherwise. purserj: @Mosesmoses: It’s ACA, has as much to do with journalism as Today Tonight JoelyRighteous: @Mosesmoses I have minimal exposure to this debate but if it WAS concensual why is it an issue at all? If people want to gangbang go for it. Scar68: @Mosesmoses It was very well stage managed but I agree. Also why is he the only one being keel hauled.

Another bloke threw in a pointed question:

benmckelvey: @Mosesmoses So, is this the official SMH line?

Moses kept trying to engage:

Mosesmoses: @glittertrash People make their own decisions and have to live with them…if the cops charged Johns with rape I wouldn’t have this opinion

But the crowd were having nothing of it:

glittertrash: @Mosesmoses: Cops haven’t laid charges, so she’s a ‘slutty groupy’? Nice. JeanBurgess: RT @glittertrash @Mosesmoses: Why is the terminology ‘slutty groupy’ NOT a fucking juvenile attack on an already distraught woman? johnkung: @Mosesmoses One can only hope that your career, such as it is, will be over with that comment.

Moses shrugged:

Mosesmoses: I just think Johns is being crucified when cops haven’t charged him with anything. Morally, I think he was in the wrong..

Flying monkeys flapped around:

PeakingLegoman: @Mosesmoses tks for saying that. I watched ACA and Johns was not lying. Absolutely was not lying. fucnk bitch needs to own her own mistakes

glittertrash and Jen_Bennett pointed out his double standard way more politely than I would have:

glittertrash: @Mosesmoses: morally in the wrong vs ‘slutty groupy’. Perhaps a moment of self-examination of your own double standards, please? Jen_Bennett: @Mosesmoses you might want to reconsider your use of “slutty groupie” since it suggests all blame on her.

Moses claimed it was just a problem of terminology, and again decided he knew perfectly well what went on that night, and it was all 100% consensual, or something vaguely along those lines anyhow (perhaps she was a big Slutty McSlutterson and deserved to get gang raped as a consequence of her “decisions”?):

Mosesmoses: @glittertrash @Jon_Bennett @christianmccrea Ok, shouldn’t have put it in those terms. But I think both made their own decisions..

And made the point that he does draw the line somewhere, women don’t actually deserve to be attacked with a broken glass (only with a penis, which they secretly all love dontcha know?):

Mosesmoses: @newsbee I completely agree. Greg Bird glassing his girlfriend? That is disgusting. I’m definitely not defending that kind of behaviour.

Then, marykozlovski noticed that Moses had deleted his “slutty groupy” tweet:

marykozlovski: @Mosesmoses Why tweet this (http://bit.ly/A6AZ (expand) ) then delete it?

And Moses again claimed it was all about his simple lack of mad dictionary skillz:

Mosesmoses: @marykozlovski regretted the choice of words but I still think johns is being unfairly treated..

Pressed on the issue:

marykozlovski: @Mosesmoses Why should you be able to retract comments, when you wouldn’t allow people the similar privilege in SMH?

Moses’s only response?

Mosesmoses: @marykozlovski @jeanburgess Twitter isn’t SMH.

Screenshot of that last exchange, in case it doesn’t last online:



Follow further developments here at a search for ashermoses on Twitter.



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Categories: gender & feminism, media, social justice, violence