Ashton Kutcher Defends Himself After Defending Uber Against Bad Press
Celebrity

Ashton, who reportedly owns a stake in Uber, has received backlash after posting a series of tweets defending Uber, writing, 'What is so wrong about digging up dirt on shady journalist?'

AceShowbiz - Ashton Kutcher took to Twitter on Wednesday, November 19 to defend himself after receiving backlash for his statements on investigating journalists' sources. The star of "Two and a Half Men" posted an article along with a picture which read, "Look mom, I'm a journalist."

"This morning I engaged in a public conversation around the notion that journalists should not be exempt from the actions they often employ in news gathering," he began his article, "I'm not suggesting that threatening journalists is OK. I am only questioning where the line between public and private is - and where we want it to be."

He went on to defend himself that he did not support Uber CEO's recent controversial statement, "I've thought to myself 100 times: 'I'd love to hire someone to get dirt on that guy and publish it... Just so he knows how it feels.' Have I ever followed through? No. Will I? No. Do I support someone who does? No! Because if I did I'd be just like the people who invade my private life all the time."

"But I don't think the guy did something wrong by thinking it, or even saying it, in what he considered to be a private forum. We have to stop thought-policing each other. If we aren't allowed to have bad ideas we will never have the room to have a good one," he continued.

The "That '70s Show" alum added, "I believe that journalism is a core component of our democracy. I do not think journalists should be bullied, but I do think that with the vast shift of media dynamics that has taken place since the birth of social media we need to consider and revisit the boundaries of what we believe to be ethical in news gathering."

Ashton, who reportedly owns a stake in Uber, was under fire after being accused of backing Uber CEO Emil Michael who reportedly was trying to dig up dirt on a female journalist after she discredited the company.

Earlier on the day, he tweeted, "What is so wrong about digging up dirt on shady journalist? @pando @TechCrunch @Uber," before adding, "I believe we live in a day were the first word has become 'the word.' "

"Rumors span the globe before anyone has an opportunity to defend them selves," he followed it up, "Everyone is guilty and then tasked to defend themselves publicly. Questioning the source needs to happen... Always! So as long as journalist are interested and willing to print half truths as facts... Yes we should question the source." He added, "To be clear I speak for my self not @Uber."

"This should be fun... Here comes the part where journalist explain why they should be exempt from ridicule and judgement and probing. U r all right and I'm on the wrong side of this ultimately. I just wish journalists were held to the same standards as public figures. #GoodForRatings #TrafficSpike #WelcomeToShockJournalism," he concluded.

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