Senior Investigative Reporter for Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Michael Edison Hayden allegedly lied about Daily Wire host Michael Knowles in a Friday article.
The article claimed Newsweek opinion editor Josh Hammer, who hosts The Josh Hammer Show through the outlet, turned the publication "radically right" by "buoying extremists and promoting authoritarian leaders." Hayden referenced Knowles' February appearance on Hammer's podcast saying the Daily Wire host expresses "hateful views of the LGBTQ+ community," further noting Knowles’ statement on transgenderism during the episode.
"What the new conservatives … are saying is: ‘No, I actually can tell the difference between a man and a woman," Knowles told Hammer in the February episode. "I actually can tell men that they shouldn’t mutilate themselves to look more like women.”
Hayden's article claimed Hatewatch, an SPLC campaign that "[exposes] hate groups and other extremists throughout the United States," reached out to Knowles for comment before publishing his statement though stated "he did not respond."
"[Michael Hayden] & [SPLC] just lied about me," said Knowles in a Friday tweet. "He emailed in September requesting comment. I replied within 24 hrs. A month and a half later, he claims I never responded. (I suspect he saw my reply since he seems to have blocked me shortly thereafter,)" the Daily Wire host continued providing screenshots of Hayden's article, email, and Knowles' reply.
He added: "I demand a correction."
"No, I blocked you a long time ago for reasons that have nothing to do with this story," Hayden replied to Knowles shortly after, claiming he "had no email" from Knowles in his inbox. "I will happily update the story with your response."
Knowles responded, "emails sometimes go to the spam folder, just as dogs sometimes eat homework. In any event, I look forward to your correcting the record!"
"Dude I don't have any email from you. The only emails I have with your name refer to edits from the story and accompanying video," Hayden insisted, countering Knowles.
"Your repeated use of the phrase 'I don't have' rather than, say, 'I never received' is curious diction," Knowles responded. "But in any case, you can read my screenshot of the email. If for whatever reason you prefer that I resend the note to your apparently defective inbox, I'm happy to do that too."
"Why are you trying to convince your followers that I'm lying when I included comment from Dave Rubin, Newsweek, etc. What could I possibly gain from pretending to not see your email? What possible advantage would that give me at all?" Hayden said continuing in a separate post that Knowles was a "bizarre person" for suggesting the SPLC reporter was lying about receiving the Daily Wire host's email.
Hayden updated the article as of Friday evening with Knowles' September email response, noting the outlet found "no record of the correspondence."
