What is doxing? Dan Bernstein dismissed from 670 The Score amid social media controversy
Dan Bernstein was recently fired as the host of the popular Chicago radio station, 670 The Score, following allegations of doxing after a social media dispute. The decision was announced on air by WSCR-AM station head Mitch Rosen on Friday, March 21, at approximately 1:50 p.m.
As per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, doxing is defined as:
"To publicly identify or publish private information about (someone) especially as a form of punishment or revenge."
Bernstein's alleged doxing controversy happened last week when he got into a public spat with another user on X over his ethics as a fisherman. The dispute began when the television host posted a now-deleted photo of a fish he had caught, with the caption:
“This was a helluva fight."
X user @GregMessenger then accused Bernstein of killing a pregnant northern pike. This prompted the host and columnist to defend himself by claiming that the fish "was released successfully" and "took off like a torpedo." However, the user challenged him, pointing out the "dried blood on the gills."
In response, Dan Bernstein wrote:
"I never respond to trolls, but questioning my sportsmanship and conservation awareness sets me off. Wanna fight? I'm a bad enemy, f*cker."
The controversy escalated when the former 670 The Score host claimed that he had the user's private details and that he would make them public. He tweeted:
"Where you at? I have your address and phone numbers. Want it all public? Do I worry you yet?"
However, the user responded by claiming that he wasn't "one bit" threatened as he was "very transparent" about his residency.
"Want your kids involved?" — Dan Bernstein involves an X user's children during public brawl over fishing ethics
Dan Bernstein further went on to involve X user @GregMessenger's children during the social media altercation. After threatening to reveal the user's personal details, Bernstein wrote:
"Want your kids involved?"
He continued imploring the user to apologize in the subsequent tweets.
"Just say "I'm sorry for being a di*k," and I'll stop," he wrote.
The back-and-forth ended with the television host writing that he had construed the user's "cowardly silence" as an apology. Bernstein also called him a "MAGA worm."
Following the social media altercation, Dan Bernstein was off-air for the entire week. On Friday, Rosen officially announced that the longtime host had been fired. An email was sent to the staff after Rosen's announcement on Saturday. As per a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, the email read:
“On behalf of [Audacy market manager] Kevin Cassidy and myself, we want to let all of you know that Dan Bernstein no longer works at the Score. We thank Dan for his time here and wish him nothing but the best. Please reach out to me if you have any questions. Thank you."
In addition to losing his job at The Score, Bernstein was removed from the board of directors at Camp One Step, a Chicago-based engagement program for children with cancer, following the controversy.
When Dan Bernstein called out Barstool Eddie for referring to him by his last name
Bernstein has been involved in several controversies over the years. One of the major ones happened in 2024 when his public reaction to television host Barstool Eddie's comment caused widespread outrage on social media.
In September last year, 670 The Score host Matt Spiegel welcomed Barstool Eddie as a guest host. During Eddie's appearance on The Score's crosstalk show, Eddie referred to Dan Bernstein by his last name. After maintaining silence for about half a minute, Bernstein snapped at him on live television, saying:
“You can call me Dan or you can call me Bernsy, but you don’t know me like that.”
During a break, the show's live YouTube stream captured Laurence Holmes asking Bernstein, "What did he call you?" To this, he replied, "Bernstein," with a scowl on his face. However, Spiegel and Eddie, who were hosting remotely, were not aware of the interaction between Bernstein and Holmes.
The incident caused a backlash against Dan Bernstein on social media. Barstool Eddie reacted to his public discourse with Dan Bernstein on X on September 10, 2024. He said:
“I didn’t say that to get a rise out of him. Who in their right mind would think that saying someone’s last name would piss someone off? Honestly, I don’t understand it. I could have said anything and Bernstein was gonna look at the opportunity to jump on top of me."
Eddie ended the video by calling Bernstein a "miserable, miserable guy."