We’re a small team here at True/Slant, and like most startups that means everyone has a couple of jobs (at least).  For example, you’re looking at the entire help desk.   Now, most help desk emails have a question about the site, how something works or (ack) isn’t working.  Last night, though, I got an email with a clear and plaintive cry for help:

I saw Mark Williams on MSNBC tonight and I swear he was wearing an earring.  I’ve exhausted all online searches and I’m begging you to please help me.  I MUST know if this douche bag wears an earring.  I don’t know why this is important but it is!!!
Sincerely,
Vicki

Mark Williams is a familiar face on the cable news circuit, appearing regularly on MSNBC, CNN and Fox.   He is Vice Chairman of Our Country Deserves Better Political Action Committee, and can politely be described as a rabid ultra-conservative Obama-hater.  Or, as he would say, “right.”

Not someone you’d expect to show up with an earring.   But, ever the helpful help desk, I poked around for some evidence to properly answer Vicki’s question.

I first looked at Mark’s bio picture on ourcountrydeservesbetter.com.  First thing I noticed was that the picture’s cropped so you can’t see his left earlobe.  That’s odd, I thought.  Odd and curious.  He’s Vice Chairman of this PAC and a) chooses a picture that shows him on an MSNBC talk show, and 2) we can’t see his left ear.  I have to assume when he actually appeared on MSNBC that they did, in fact, include his left ear in the shot.  So it’s even more unusual that I can’t see it here.

Next, I looked at Mark’s bio pic on his own site marktalk.com.  This picture’s smaller and the angle isn’t ideal but you can pretty much see his left earlobe.  Nothing  glinting, sparkling or dangling, though.  His earlobe appears to be unadorned.  But, with the size and the angle and the possibility of photoshopping I’m not completely confident I have Vicki’s answer.

I then pulled up video of Mark’s CNN appearance on Anderson Cooper’s AC360 last night (when they had their memorable war of words).

Stop. the. presses.  There it is!  A clear shot of his left ear, and lo and behold there’s something on it.   This is a shot from CNN, though, and we know the left will stop at nothing to bury the right.  I must maintain my objective perspective, even in light of this earlobe evidence.  I need another source to verify.

That takes me to Google (of course).  Google Images, to be specific.  After digging through pics of other people named  Mark Williams, I found it.  A second source.   A clear image, the right angle, and confirmation that there is, in fact, something that looks like an earring on this ultra-conservative’s left ear.

Could it be?

Mark Williams describes himself on his own website as “a long time ‘activist’ radio talk show host, TV news personality and writer.”   The quote marks around activist are his own.  Is that some kind of secret hippie code?  Could it simply be a birthmark?  Or, um, birthermark?

Vicki, I can tell you that you did indeed see something on Mark Williams’ ear.  I can’t yet tell you what it is.  For that, I’ve gone to the source.  I’ve just sent Mark Williams a Facebook message asking him: earring or birthmark?

I’ll let you know when I hear back.

helpfully yours,

andrea @ the true/slant help desk

UPDATE: 
Mark Williams responds to the earring controversy via Facebook