‘Dilbert’ creator defends video post: ‘What this is about is Trump’
Cartoonist urges Gilroy survivors to sell stories to media
PLEASANTON >> “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams is blaming critics of Donald Trump and gun control advocates for whipping up the social media firestorm he encountered Sunday when he urged survivors of the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting to use an app he co-founded to sell their stories to the news media — with him taking a cut.
In a video posted to Twitter, the Pleasanton cartoonist on Monday also denounced “trolls” for “showboating fake outrage” by suggesting he lacked empathy for the two children and one adult who were killed and the more than a dozen people who were injured in the Sunday night mass shooting.
In the video, Adams said he was simply trying to let his followers know about “a tool” that could quickly disseminate information about such a major news event.
“We’re all feeling very, very bad for the people who experienced it,” Adams said in his video.
Attempts to reach Adams for further comments were unsuccessful. His phone voicemail box was full and he did not respond to a tweet seeking comment.
Adams gained worldwide fame and acclaim through his cartoon “Dilbert,” which debuted in 1989, but in recent years has become known for his controversial expressions of admiration for President Trump. He claims that’s why he’s getting attacked now.
“What this is about is Trump,” said Adams in the Twitter video. “All of the pushback I’m getting is fueled by an intense hatred of Trump, or therefore for anyone who has ever said anything good about Trump. It also is about gun control, and it’s about people feeling helpless to be able to do something about it.”
On Sunday night, Adams shared a message with his more than 300,000 Twitter followers about his “Interface by WhenHub” app. The WhenHub app allows experts or anyone else with unique knowledge of a situation, including witnesses to a high-profile crime, to discuss what they know over a video call.
Adams told people they could “set their price” and make money talking about what they experienced during the shooting. As the app works, Adams’ company would take a 20% cut.
The condemnation for Adams’ tweet was swift, with people accusing him of being a “ghoul” and a “grifter.”
“Not many people would see the upside to a mass shooting and the death of a six year old as clearly as you have, much less promote their business to benefit directly from it as you have,” tweeted a user, who identifies himself as a mobile series reliability engineer from San Jose.
In his video, Adams pushed back against critics, saying he was simply trying to get people with information about a major news event in contact with reporters as quickly as possible. He said his app is another “news gathering tool” and agreed the public “has a legitimate need to know” about a mass shooting in their town or region.
Adams added that in such a situation, he wouldn’t expect a witness to charge for sharing their story. The witness would “set their price at zero,” which means his company wouldn’t benefit financially. But if a witness chose to charge for an interview, a news organization would have the option “to not pay if it doesn’t feel right.”
Most news organizations, including the Mercury News and East Bay Times, do not pay news sources for interviews or information. Certain tabloid news companies, such as TMZ or American Media, the owner of the National Enquirer, have sparked debate for their willingness to pay news sources.
As of Monday afternoon, no Gilroy survivors had taken Adams up on his offer. The only person offering himself up as an “expert” was someone named Jeff Horwitz who appeared to want to troll Adams, by saying he was willing to talk to anyone for $50 an hour about “Scott Adams being vile” and “journalism basics.”