# Sean Penn thinks he's a journalist
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [January 11, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813 "2016-01-11T14:55:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/1 "2016-01-11T14:55:53Z")
So El Chapo, the world’s most infamous drug kingpin, gets arrested again after escaping from prison again, and turns out that Sean Penn had an exclusive interview with him. Plus, turns out that the logistics of this interview provided clues to the Mexican authorities that led to his capture.
Wow, what a fascinating story! Billionaire drug dealer on the lam! Rolling Stone interview! How could this story be any better?
Oh, wait. Sean Penn is involved. And if you read the [article](http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/el-chapo-speaks-20160109) – well, you’re a better person than I am. I found it to be the most unreadable piece of shit that I’ve ever seen in a major “news” publication. The title shouldn’t be “El Chapo Speaks,” it should be “Sean Penn Drones on for 40 Percent of the Article about His Travel Plans, and There Are a Few Quotes from El Chapo Somewhere Toward the Middle or End.”
I’m not sure if Sean Penn broke any laws by going to meet with this outlaw, but he sure as hell raped the profession of journalism with this awfully written, self indulgent, utterly uninformative, worthless bit of typing that could have been interesting. So, Sean Penn, thanks for fucking it all up.
And to the editors at Rolling Stone: are you totally incompetent? Couldn’t you edit out the feces from this exercise in ego masturbation, and leave the informative parts? (That would probably be about 1,200 words – but that’s just my guess because I couldn’t make it through the article – I’d rather read 7th grade book reports written in text speak on the Red Badge of Courage.) Shame on you, Rolling Stone, for neutering your editors from applying any kind of improvement to this shoddy mess of word vomit.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/2 "2016-01-11T15:07:47Z")
> [@Ravenman](#):
>
> I’m not sure if Sean Penn broke any laws by going to meet with this outlaw…
Haven’t read the article, but I was contemplating opening a GQ thread about that question. I actually was thinking about Mexican laws, but I suppose there could be US laws broken, too. Assuming, that is, he did this all in the down-low, and was not part of the apprehension effort.
ETA: Went to your link to read the story, but couldn’t get past the first paragraph. It was a dark and stormy night…!!
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### Author:  [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/3 "2016-01-11T15:13:39Z")
Not the greatest, but no where near the worst I’ve read. Do you hate Penn in general? I mean, that’s totally understandable, I just wonder if it might influence your opinion of his writing skills. Good or bad, the whole thing is just weird on many levels.
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### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/4 "2016-01-11T15:15:35Z")
Such a strange story. How would this differ from a journalist interviewing someone like Edward Snowden?
Lisa Bloom on Today has indicated that as long as he didn’t help him hide, he’s probably ok.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/5 "2016-01-11T15:18:40Z")
I believe Chapo wanted a biographical film made.
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### Author:  [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/6 "2016-01-11T15:24:16Z")
> [@Ravenman](#):
>
> I’m not sure if Sean Penn broke any laws by going to meet with this outlaw, but he sure as hell raped the profession of journalism with this awfully written, self indulgent, utterly uninformative, worthless bit of typing that could have been interesting. So, Sean Penn, thanks for fucking it all up.
From that description the article is as good as his acting.
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### Author:  [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/7 "2016-01-11T15:26:12Z")
> [@Ravenman](#):
>
> And to the editors at Rolling Stone: are you totally incompetent?
[After last year’s fiasco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rape_on_Campus), do you really have to ask?
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### Author:  [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/8 "2016-01-11T15:39:20Z")
I am always amused by actors and actresses getting involved in politics. Most of them are dumber than a bag of hammers.
I won’t read the article on El Chapo as I am sure it is self-serving drivel.
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### Author:  [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/9 "2016-01-11T15:48:02Z")
Well, this totally destroys the journalistic credibility that Sean Penn has spent years building up, oh wait…
I haven’t read it but letting Penn write the article has resulted in massive sales for Rolling Stone so it’s a short-term win for them. Surely it damages _their_ journalistic credibility but then it’s already so damaged that frankly one more dent won’t lower its value much.
(Also, every time I see “El Chapo” I read it as “El Guapo”, the bad guy from “Three Amigos”. This makes the news stories far more interesting.)
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### Author:  [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/10 "2016-01-11T16:00:36Z")
I have no particular feelings about Sean Penn or Rolling Stone, and I can confirm that the article is shit. He is a bad writer and clearly had no editors. What a shame. Could have been an interesting opportunity.
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### Author:  [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/11 "2016-01-11T16:11:01Z")
I wonder, if the cartel thinks that Sean Penn had something to do with El Guapo’s capture, did Sean Penn just earn himself a spot on a list?
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### Author:  [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/12 "2016-01-11T16:13:24Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#):
>
> Do you hate Penn in general? I mean, that’s totally understandable, I just wonder if it might influence your opinion of his writing skills.
I don’t think about him all that much, but if pressed I’d say he seems like a douchebag. It’s not like I ever think to myself, “Grr, that Sean Penn is at it again! I’m going to add this to my list of grievances.” In terms of occupying my head space, I probably think about Harry Connick Jr as frequently as I think of Sean Penn, if that says anything.
However, I have really enjoyed some of his movie work that I’ve seen, such as Milk – he was really good in that. Into the Wild was a really well done film, too, though I think he directed or produced that.
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### Author:  [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/13 "2016-01-11T16:14:38Z")
> [@Smapti](#):
>
> [After last year’s fiasco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rape_on_Campus), do you really have to ask?
At least that was readable.
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/14 "2016-01-11T16:31:37Z")
I keep seeing that Penn’s interview led the Mexican police to El Chapo. Do we know yet whether he was actually working with the police to make this happen, or were they following him without his knowledge?
If it’s the former, then I’m inclined to forgive the quality of his work.
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/15 "2016-01-11T16:35:06Z")
I’d say if you get a story, write about it, and get it published, you are a journalist. There’s a whole lot of people with degrees in journalism who never got such a good story. With a subject this compelling, how can Rolling Stone not publish it?
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### Author:  [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/16 "2016-01-11T16:47:29Z")
It read like a high school junior’s essay in which he tried to pad his word count and use lots of extra-credit vocabulary words.
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### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/17 "2016-01-11T17:19:12Z")
For those that didn’t bother reading it, but would like a tidbit, Penn actually mentions that he farted and Chapo was polite enough not to mention it.
Yeah…
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### Author:  [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/18 "2016-01-11T17:23:22Z")
> [@Steophan](#):
>
> From that description the article is as good as his acting.
Since he’s a fantastic actor, maybe I should read this article…
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### Author:  [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/19 "2016-01-11T17:37:22Z")
To be honest, I assumed that Penn interviewed el Chapo to research a film project. Writing the article would be just to generate interest in such a project not because he has journalistic aspirations.
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### Author:  [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sean-penn-thinks-hes-a-journalist/742813/20 "2016-01-11T17:46:23Z")
> [@Steophan](#):
>
> From that description the article is as good as his acting.
You _dick_!
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