I’ve never watched the Golden Globes. I *almost* did this year to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host but was out that night and forgot to DVR it. So it goes. One thing that everyone has been talking about is the blowback from the Lifetime Achievement Award given to Woody Allen. I guess the Golden Globalists want controversy because Woody doesn’t give a shit about awards. Thanks to Twitter his estranged ex-partner Mia Farrow and his bio-son Ronan reiterated allegations that he’s a pervert and pedophile. (Btw, I likeSatchelbetter as a name but I’m a baseball history buff and that’s neither here nor there in any event.)

On to this week’s malakatude perpetrated by Vice.com. They’ve posted a piece by Megan Koster entitled Is It Still OK to Like Alleged Child Molester Woody Allen. I’m not taking a position on the allegations because I’m not sure who to believe, not because I like most of Woody Allen’s movies. That’s irrelevant to me, I likeRoman Polanski’s films but think he should have served his time in jailfor rape. There’s one important difference: Polanski has been convicted whereas Allen was accused many years after the abuse allegedly occurred.

I think the article is pretty good for what it is, BUT Vice posted a “mugshot” of Woody Allen that is astill of him as Fielding MelishinTake The Money And Run, which is a 1969 comedy. The only identification of the picture as a FICTIONAL MUG SHOT is a small link below it. The implication is, of course, that Allen has been arrested at some point when he has not, but Vice does just enough to avoid being sued back into the stone age. When the story is shared as a link on social media, all one sees is Fielding Melish’s nebbishy fictional face and all he was ever charged with was the use of a “gub” whilst robbing a bank.

I’ve said it before and will say it again: some things are not funny. Mocking Woody Allen is fine even though he got there with the joke first many, many moons ago. But accusations of child molestation simply ain’t funny whether true or untrue. Posting a fictional “mugshot” goes beyond taking sides into making allegations that Vice.com can only support with links toVanity Fair’s fall Farrowpalooza. To some extent that article and the Farrow’s tweets were aimed at making the public take sides in their family feud. And I have a firm policy of steering clear of other people’s family drama.

Does this classic Hearstian-Beaverbrookian-Murdochian yellow journalism shock me or anyone named Ian? Hell no, but posting that fake musgshot is classic malakatude . And that is why Vice.com is malaka of the week.