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Journalist vs. public figure duels: Three to remember

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Hank Greenspun’s battle with Joe McCarthy is legendary.

In a recent Las Vegas Sun column, J. Patrick Coolican questioned UFC President Dana White’s tweeting of betting lines. White called him a jackass. It got us thinking about other verbal bouts between local journalists and those in the public eye.

Hank Greenspun vs. Joe McCarthy

In the early ’50s, the Las Vegas Sun founder began calling out the senator for his record and ethics, painting him as a demagogue on the page. McCarthy responded by calling Greenspun a Communist in public. Greenspun was at that rally, and the Sun reported that his outraged, impassioned retort got the crowd cheering.

Norm Clarke vs. Criss Angel

The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s eye-patched gossip columnist angered the Strip magician with coverage of a comment Angel made to a Miss USA 2008 judge on behalf of his contestant girlfriend. According to Clarke, Angel threatened him with an “F-bomb-laced tirade” and warned that another story could result in another eye patch.

Josh Bell vs. Jamie Kennedy

The Weekly’s film critic, who has drawn fire from hordes of film fans over the years, caught the attention of actor/comedian Jamie Kennedy for harshly criticizing 2003’s Malibu’s Most Wanted (key excerpt: “Jamie Kennedy must be stopped.”) Kennedy confronted Bell in person in his 2008 documentary Heckler. Rent it and see!

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