News: Journalist That Outed Olympians Apologizes
Seven months after writing a story that outed possibly closeted athletes from notoriously homophobic countries, British journalist Nico Hines has finally issued an apology.
In an open letter titled “What I’ve Learned” published on The Daily Beast, Hines said that he was “deeply sorry” for writing the story that caused an uproar on the internet and even prompted a Change.org petition asking The Daily Beast to fire him.
The story, just to remind everyone, was titled “I Got Three Grindr Dates in an Hour in the Olympic Village”, and involved Hines — who is straight — attempting to get dates from the Olympic Village using the dating apps, Bumble, Tinder, Jack’d, and Grindr.
Hines lured closeted gay athletes and then proceeded to include in his story the heights, weights, sports, and country of origin of these closeted athletes. One such athlete whose details were included in the article is from Kazakhstan, which the Human Rights Watch says “fails to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people from violence and discrimination.”
It resulted in rebukes from publications like Vanity Fair, Slate, and Mic, and even from the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Here on Adam4Adam, the post about Hines’ article resulted in almost a hundred comments from you guys.
Hines acknowledged in the letter that “he intruded into the lives of people who had a right to be left alone”, and that he didn’t accurately represent himself as a journalist while writing the piece. He also admitted that he was “insensitive to the fears that constantly grip some people’s lives and it was wrong to even introduce the possibility that someone’s privacy could have been compromised.”
The public backlash that he underwent was also mentioned in his open letter. Hines says that he received hundreds of emails that pointed out his actions only reinforced some LGBTQ people’s fears that society can’t be trusted, and he says he was “guilty of reinforcing those emotions.”
The response to Hines’ apology has been mixed, with some calling it sincere while others viewing it as “too little, too late.” What do you guys think? Is this an acceptable apology? Or would it have been better if this was made immediately after the article was pointed out as offensive? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
7 months? Too little too late. That’s plenty of time to cause so much havoc for these people. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place. He’s a disgrace who deserves not a single ounce of forgiveness.
I feel a little too late. For those that were outed, could be living a nightmare of their own within their home country or social status that is anti-gay. But, at least he did apologize as a man….somewhat.
I feel that we should accept this apology. The whole point of the gay rights movement is to inform people and change their ways and views so that they don’t see us in a bad way. If we decide to hold grudges that goes against what we want.
These witch hunts meant to out people have got to stop. It doesn’t matter what country they’re from. People have a right to privacy, and to be in or out at THEIR discretion. NO ONE should take it upon themselves to out anyone for any reason. Live your life and let others live theirs!!
He committed fraud, as he is straight and had no interest in them, that is the worst aspect of it, he was totally exploiting them and the apps, in self-interest, and they should all sue him for it. He should never work as a journalist again.
So, if he was gay and had interest, it would change the way you think about the situation. Mind you, we have individuals within our own community who would do the same thing.
I hate to say it but as a human with understanding that there are people out there that would do harm to someone just for who they are and who they love, he failed. There is nothing he can say to make up for it and an apology is pointless. The best thing learned from here is that if it’s not your fucking business, it ain’t yours to tell.
The damage that this journalist has done is incredible, waiting 7 months to apologize sends the message in my opinion, is not sincere in the least, I think that he did the apology because of the backlash that he received. I agree with the regrest regarding the journalist’s press credentials be completely stripped. It does appear to be harsh, but look at the men that he outed, the incredibly danger he has placed them in. This dangerous type of journalism subjected to the public should never be acceptible to any person no matter what there sexual orientation is. We all know that saying I apologize just does not fix the damage done. NICO HINES! You had your 15 minutes of fame now just to us all a huge justice and break your keyboard burn your journalism certificates, and just plain old “go away” BUT! Please keep in mind, KARMA will find you……and rumor has it, she’s a real bitch……..
It is “too little, too late” His actions did nothing but hurt people. He was selfish in trying to make a name for himself at the expense of others and in some cases the danger of others. His apology is all about him…yet again.
Mr. Hines? I’d horse whip him if I had a horse.
He should be fired for his abdication of professional journalistic standards. Or he should be labeled as “gay” and given residence in one of those charming backwater countries that persecute, prosecute and execute its gay residents.
An apology long he had ruined the lives of the athletes seems to as though he was made to write that article because of the mounting pressure brought to bear on himself and on his place of employment. I think he sank to the lowest journalistic depths to get a story, which had no bearing on the athletes’ performance at the Olympic Games.
I think it’s sincere, now that he’s globally loathed, he sincerely regrets his indiscretion.
People like him reinforce the obvious fact that the media can’t be trusted, no matter which end of the political spectrum we fall on.
What a dirtbag.
Actually I don’t think it’s sincere. The only reason he “apologized” is because of the backlash that it created. Had he been sincerely sorry he would have given that apology immediately not 7 months later. The only reason he “regrets” his indiscretion is because he’s globally loathed, not because he possibly put men’s lives at risk.
I am sorry it is too darn late for me …just trying to save his job
Too little, too late.
the editor who signed off on the piece should be fired as well.
“Sheer unadulterated genius!” there, as I am of the same mind in situations when some GARBAGE needs greenlghting to be vomited upon the public. I’m unfortunately finding all this out 4 mos 12 days since this news appeared but my fury is no less. This selfserving pathetic OBJECT has only strengthened my already withering contempt for overpaid overeducated Did You Kill Your Wife-ranting newsidiots, while mining an entirely new level of low w/both its shameful tactics & dead-snail-speed assdragging to a stale CRUMB of “apology” for same. It begs the question WTF is this RUMORED “str8” thing’s problem, that its syphilitic little microbrain could not only misconceive This Goofy Plot against innocent men whose earthly value is LIGHTYEARS greater, but then actually carry it out!!! In all the known WORLD of subjects to write about – starting w/the germane topic of SPORTS – this “whatEVER it is” decided, like a lunatic driver mowing down a crowd, that causing people pain & distress for NOTHING but its own grab for attention was Top Priority! Absolutely sickmaking. It & its co-shitbag(s) that thought this was a good idea should ALL have been kicked to curb toot sweet by their FORMER employer for skidmarking their reputation w/this putrid little exercise in ignorance & intolerance. We can all only hope & pray that any negativity these men might have experienced as a result was both short & minimal & that, Someday Soon in Janet Jackson’s words, those that caused it get what’s coming to them REAL bad!
So,,,, his apology is supposed to be the redemption for this transgression? This “apology” does not wipe away the harm he has done… nor does it forgive him of the consequences he caused to the innocent athletes he outed. If the story he wrote is a reflection of his ethics, no media outlet should hire him.
I belive it wasnt a heart felt appolagey at all . He only made it due to the pressure he felt after the word got out . Someone who really cared about what he had done and how wrong it was would have said or done something a lot sooner . It tipical to cave in when the pressure of wrong doing is applayed ,it jest away for him to save his ass and his job if this matter wasnt costing him anything i dont belive he would have apologized,and he is lieing when he said that he didnt know the danger he put the guys in by doing what he did he knew he jest didnt care because it was jest some gay guy story and what str8 guy would ever care about causing harm or trouble for a bunch of gay guys . David
It is of course “too little, too late,” but it would also have been impossible to have been “too much, too soon.” The article should never have been done in the first place. As I don’t personally know the clueless idiot, it is impossible for me to know if he was intentionally, maliciously, viciously writing a piece to have members of the public somewhere be able to identify to which athletes he was referring in the article, or whether he was simply ignorant of the stupidity of his reporting and the danger to the gay athletes he created. At a bare minimum “clueless idiot” is the most charitable thing he can be called, as anybody in Great Britain, Western Europe and the United States has to be aware of the potential danger for gays to be outed. However, assuming a clueless idiot he is, at least he has issued a formal apology, a mea culpa. If he had issued it immediately, I would have regarded it as politically correct damage control, as he obviously couldn’t have scaled the learning curve he needed to do in a short period of time. After this length of time, I would tend to think his apology is sincere and that he is cognizant of his former egregious error in judgment, as he has had time to absorb the ramifications of just how horrendous his actions were. Some things one does in life are unforgivable; this was one of his. Remember, there is no obligation to accept an apology, even one sincerely given. The gay athletes may or may not.
Too little, too late!!! He should be run out of town!!!!
He outed people. He cannot unsay it. Big F&^#$% deal. He should be fired. Had to hurt people trying to make something of himself. B(&* [email protected]$#
Every “too little too late” seems to be coming from people who would claim to know all about hate. “Too little too late” sure seems to me to be reverse hate, a double standard.
The guy has been saddled with his own stupidity. His action will follow him for the rest of his life. Maybe we don’t have to accept the apology with open arms and a parade. A gracious “OK” would certainly be the higher road.