Andy Gitelson 🎗️

I think I’ve made my feelings on freedom of expression clear, but I am getting extremely annoyed by the Irish media failing to do their ethical duty and report on the Macklemore situation accurately. In 2014 Macklemore performed in ‘Jewface’ with a massive hooked nose, something he issued an apology for after widespread backlash. Any Irish coverage about him being removed from Ed Sheeran’s show that does not include this fact is fundamentally dishonest. It is directly relevant that a man being accused of antisemitism literally performed in Jewface. Indeed, this is the reason that most of my friends have issue with him. People may tie themselves in knots to deny that Macklemore’s anti-Israel stance has anything to do with the blatant antisemitism he openly displayed in 2014, but most good faith people would be highly skeptical in this regard. Especially given that his 2024 song on Israel/Palestine invoked antisemitic tropes. The line ‘it’s always been about dollars and the colour of your pigment but white supremacy is finally on blast’ is a perfect blend of a classic antisemitic dog whistle and the dominant contemporary manifestation of antisemitism: rebranding Jews as ‘white’. So by all means, make your arguments on freedom of expression. I am probably sympathetic to them as someone who is a free speech maximalist myself. But please be honest and address Macklemore’s noted history of antisemitism. And to Irish journalists: do your jobs and for once in your lives adhere to the ethics of your profession and report on this issue truthfully and without bias.