After seven long months, The Daily Beast reporter Nico Hines has finally come out of hiding.
In a post titled “What I’ve Learned” published Monday, Hines says he’s really, really, really sorry for that homophobic article he wrote last summer in which he outed closeted athletes at the summer Olympics in Rio by stalking them on Grindr.
“Seven months ago, The Daily Beast ran a story of mine that never should have been conceived, written, or published,” Nico’s apology begins. “For that, I am deeply sorry.”
Related: Everyone’s Pissed At This Straight Journalist Who Used Grindr To Out Gay Athletes In Rio
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He goes on to say that “private individuals’ sex lives are only legitimate topics when they’re addressed with their consent or contribute to the public good” and that his article “intruded into the lives of people who had a right to be left alone.”
We’re glad he finally sees that. Although we’re not sure why it took him more than half a year to come to such an obvious realization, but whatever.
Nico blames his identity–a straight, white, cis-gender male–for his error.
“The lens of privilege distorted my worldview,” he grovels. “Before writing this story, I didn’t appreciate what ‘check your privilege’ truly meant.”
He continues, “Since our article was published, I have received hundreds of emails reminding me that many members of the LGBTQ community do not always feel they can trust society at large and I am aware that I contributed to that fear.”
Related: People Are Still Really, Really Mad At That Straight Reporter Who Outed Gay Athletes In Rio
Nico wants everyone to know that he knows he was wrong and “I will not get it wrong again.”
The apology is followed by an Editor’s Note which states the Nico will be returning “full-time to his position as senior editor and London-based reporter with The Beast, following a lengthy period of intense reflection.”
But not everyone’s feeling the apology, or The Daily Beasts’ decision to hire him back:
If it takes you 7 months to apologize, you're probably still an asshole. Not sure what The Daily Beast is thinking: https://t.co/qa6fz5ryGP
— Zack Ford (@ZackFord) March 21, 2017
If Nico Hines' apology is really that sincere it should not have come as part of the same announcement of him getting his job back.
— Seb Patrick (@sebpatrick) March 21, 2017
Taking 7 months to apologise for homophobia doesn't smack of sincerity but of running out of cash @NicoHines @dailybeast https://t.co/JBda8f3Sar
— Geoff de Burca (@itinerantgeoff) March 21, 2017
???? BREAKING: The #LGBTIQ community reacts to the 7-month overdue #NicoHines apology: pic.twitter.com/Kqc4tgmDVE
— DJ Stonedog (@DJ_Stonedog) March 21, 2017
.@NicoHines deeply apologized for his olympic grindr story, and i just want to say, deeply fuck that guy https://t.co/qFCz7CM5zu
— steven j. horowitz (@speriod) March 21, 2017
What do you think? Do you accept Nico’s apology. Take our poll and let us know…
DCguy
My true belief? The Daily Best wrote the apology for him as part of him getting his job back, not because they care, but because they wanted to be able to claim “Oh look, he apologized”.
If it was sincere it seems like it wouldn’t have taken 7 months to write.
fur_hunter
What irks me about $H!T like this is…..you can’t make folks forget what they heard or read. The spilled milk can’t be put back in the bottle. It’s like information blurted out during a trial and the judge say to strike it from the record. What is that? The Jury heard it, dumb@$$! They aren’t forgetting it.
Jack Meoff
I agree with both of the above comments. The apology was clearly just part of a deal to get his job back and not a sincere statement of regret. As for people not being able to forget what they have read, this is a trick journalists and politicians have been using for years. You say what you want knowing it will be controversial and then just apologise for it later knowing that it will still stick in peoples minds and your message is out there regardless.
Brian
The Daily Beast shouldn’t be paying him anything anymore. It’s very easy to be a blogger, and he can easily be replaced by any number of non-bigoted writers.