Ian Murphy (writer)
| Ian Murphy | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 31, 1978 Buffalo, New York |
| Residence | Amherst, New York[1] |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Employer | The Beast (formerly, The Buffalo Beast) |
| Political party | Green Party of New York State |
Ian Larry Murphy (born October 31, 1978) is an American alternative journalist and satirist who is the editor and a reporter for The Beast, an alternative, online newspaper based in Buffalo, New York. He was the Green Party nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives, NY-26 district election in early 2011.
Biography
Murphy, a native of the Buffalo area, gained national attention in February 2011 for prank-calling Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker while claiming to be billionaire David Koch, and posting a recording of the conversation online.[2] The conversation was said to reveal Walker's plots to defeat Democrats on a budget standoff[2] and Walker's willingness to cooperate with wealthy donors to quash public sector labor unions.[3]
Shortly after the Koch prank, Murphy became the Green Party candidate in the New York's 26th congressional district special election to replace Republican Chris Lee who had resigned after sending a shirtless picture of himself to a woman on Craig's list.[4][5] According to the Green Party of New York state, Murphy ran to challenge the "anti-worker, pro-war, pro-corporate, anti-environmental agenda of the Democrats and Republicans."[6] During the campaign, Murphy created a satirical website using the name of rival Republican candidate, Jane Corwin, in the URL.[7] Murphy was excluded from participation in the televised candidate debates—in one case because he had previously insulted the debate moderator in one of his Buffalo Beast articles.[8] The Green Party objected to the TV station's action saying it denied voters their First Amendment right to hear the views of all the candidates.[9] Just 25 percent of registered voters turned out for the off-season election, despite national media attention.[10] Democrat Kathy Hochul won, and Murphy finished last in the four-way race with about 1 percent of the vote.[10]
Controversy and criticisms
In 2007 Murphy wrote a column which purported to be an undercover report from the Creation Museum entitled "Let There Be Retards".[11] He drew the ire of conservatives with his May, 2008 editorial entitled, "Fuck the Troops".[12]
In February 2011 Murphy prank-called newly elected Wisconsin governor Scott Walker posing as David H. Koch,[13] a wealthy Walker campaign contributor and funder of anti-union efforts in Wisconsin and other states.[14] During the secretly recorded call, Walker discussed possible plans to trick absent Democratic lawmakers back to Wisconsin to obtain a quorum for the passage of the controversial anti-union legislation.[3] Murphy posted the recording on The Beast, obtaining national attention, a cult hero's welcome at the Wisconsin protests and an appearance on MSNBC.[15][16] The governor's office confirmed that the call occurred.[17][18] Koch later told the conservative Weekly Standard he considered the prank call and posting of the secret recording comparable to identity theft.[19]
In late July 2011, Murphy was charged with disorderly conduct during an outdoor anti-gay marriage protest after he allegedly "directed a sex toy toward officers and told them that it was a microphone", according to the police report summary.[1] Murphy later posted the actual charge which was "disrupting a religious service", and denied the charges saying he was arrested for filming the actions of police officers—with his camera being confiscated and erased.[20]
See also
References
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- ↑ The seat had been vacated by U.S. Representative Chris Lee who had resigned immediately after shirtless photos he had sent to a woman surfaced online.
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- ↑ Buffalo Beast website
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