This is chilling:
A reporter for the weekly Dover Post newspaper was fired Monday for offensive comments made on his personal weblog.
Matt Donegan, a copy editor and reporter for the newspaper, was fired by Dover Post Editor Don Flood after a reader reported the blog entries to Sussex County radio talk-show host Dan Gaffney.
A producer for Gaffney's show called Flood on Monday to inform him about the blog, and Gaffney aired some of the comments on his show.
The producer "asked if I'd seen this. I didn't know anything about it," Flood said.
"I looked at the site, and sure enough it was there. Immediately afterward I verified with [Donegan] that it was his site and this is what he had written," Flood said. "And at that point I fired him."
I would anticipate seeing this one resolved in court - it might depend on what clauses, if any, he had in any contract and which he agreed to when hired. He was basically a public face of the newspaper. h/t also, see link at Subterfuge
Another Update: Donegan's Blog
Wonder what he said that was so "offensive" to his employer. Bet there was some type of clause in his contract that would prevent him from doing anything that could be considered a negative reflection of the paper. Sure stinks though.
Posted by: jolari | Thursday, February 02, 2006 at 01:05 AM
Wow - This is brilliant... We can match Dan up with Dawn Eden...
Two copy editors pretending to be journalists fired for their extremely offensive and disingenuous behavior, with similar political bents to boot...
Things they have in common:
1. They work in the same "industry";
2. They've both whined and complained endlessly about the obvious reasons they were "relieved" of their duties;
3. They seem to have the same political (and perhaps religious) "bent"...
4. The phrase "self-absorbed" does not even begin to describe the majority of their journalistic, umm... "writings"...
5. I think Dawn's Boyfriend Todd (TM) has fled to somewhere far, far away...
6. They're both single...
The list goes on and on...
Dawn, he's a little young for you, but what the hell...
Posted by: Humouriste | Thursday, February 02, 2006 at 11:26 AM
Oops! I meant Matt, not Dan! Sorry 'bout that!
Posted by: Humouriste | Thursday, February 02, 2006 at 11:29 AM
THEY BOTH GOT JUST WHAT THEY DESERVE. SOME PEOPLE DONT REALIZE THE ERROR IN THEIR JUDGEMENT UNTIL IT IS POINTED OUT TO THEM. HOW BLIND CAN YOU BE ?
Posted by: DARNELL PERRY SR | Monday, February 06, 2006 at 10:12 AM