Boston.com Editor Fired for Story About Boehner’s “Pickled Liver”
A Boston.com associate editor was fired for a story disparaging threats against U.S. House Speaker John Boehner.
Victor Paul Alvarez told The Associated Press in an email he was fired Thursday. He said he apologized to his bosses for the “terrible mistake.”
A former bartender is charged with threatening to kill Boehner with a gun or by poisoning his drink. Alvarez’s story suggested Boehner had a drinking problem and questioned whether Boehner’s “pickled liver could have filtered out the toxins.”
This blog discussed the story here yesterday, in this post.
Alvarez’s Twitter bio now says:
My last boss said – It’s very difficult to hit the epicenter of tasteless, mean-spirited and humorless in one fell swoop – He’s right. I’m to blame. No excuse.
He seems equally chastened in the tweets I’m seeing (example).
I don’t know anything about this guy other than the crass story he wrote, but it’s nice that he seems contrite and is not trying to pin the blame on others, for the most part.
Ding.
Patterico (9c670f) — 1/15/2015 @ 7:52 pmis not trying to pin the blame on others, for the most part.
It’s early. He’ll think of it tomorrow.
Mike K (90dfdc) — 1/15/2015 @ 8:21 pmIt’s unfortunate when anyone loses their job. But really, promptly firing him was the only possible outcome for him as a result of this debacle. They couldn’t pass him off as a fledgling journalist who was young and didn’t know better with his title being associate editor and all. Clearly, his boss quickly realized that Victor is incapable of evaluating or curating his own writing, so how could he ever be trusted to lead and edit others?
elissa (749b7f) — 1/15/2015 @ 8:21 pmR.I.P. Kim Fowley, record producer & songwriter — and the man that ‘discovered’ Joan Jett
Icy (46ce85) — 1/15/2015 @ 8:29 pmI think it would have been one thing if this guy had posted his bile on his Twitter account, or his Facebook wall, or a personal blog. But he did it on his employer’s blog, and though he is paid to share his opinion with us it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his employer decided that post went far enough past the bounds of poor taste for them to cut ties with him. I earlier expressed my opinion that the young GOP congressman’s aide who addressed the Obama girls on her Twitter account deserved to be let go; certainly what this guy did was worse and deserving of no less a sanction.
JVW (60ca93) — 1/15/2015 @ 8:48 pmWhile we are discussion The Hub of the Universe, I see that Harvard has hired failed senatorial and gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley as a “resident fellow” (what, no “resident gals”?). God bless Harvard — always providing a soft landing for failed Democrat politicians.
JVW (60ca93) — 1/15/2015 @ 8:53 pmDo we know yet what tribe Martha belongs to JVW? I assume she must have some “in” or key to achieve that position.
elissa (749b7f) — 1/15/2015 @ 9:04 pmMartha might have gone the easy route and declared herself to be transgendered. It’s just as easy to claim as being Injun.
JVW (60ca93) — 1/15/2015 @ 9:24 pmHere’s a Talking Points Memo article on Cruz’s Senate staff.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/15/2015 @ 9:26 pmI think I put this on the wrong post. I’m sorry.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/15/2015 @ 9:27 pmFirst, the Boston.com guy is sorry because he was stupid. Everyone needs an editor. I prove it every day.
Second, Kim Fowley was a strange person, but he did have a lot of influence on the music of my youth.
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 1/15/2015 @ 9:30 pmI believe this reporter deserved consequences for what he did, and losing his job was a legitimate decision. But it’s tough to lose a job, especially over one incident, and now-a-days consequences seldom occur. In fact, they seem so rare that I’m not sure this will teach anyone a lesson, other than don’t let yourself get caught.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 1/15/2015 @ 9:47 pmDRJ–thanks! Can always count on you. One thing I noticed was that with few exceptions Cruz’ advisors seem to be people who have worked in Texas politics and for Texans campaigns. Of course that’s as it should be as he is a senator representing Texas. While he hasn’t announced yet, I think he should consider expanding his team to include wider geographical political expertise if he’s thinking of going for the brass ring. Do you agree? I hate it that the TPM article called him a ” tea party firebrand”. That is not a helpful image IMO.
Maybe I’m just overly sensitive to that and to its implications, but one of my state’s “tea party firebrands” just outdid himself once again with his mouth. Not helpful, Joe. Not helpful at all. And he is absolutely unrepentant. Because of Walsh this is pretty much the image and face of the tea party to many voters in IL. So, not fair perhaps, but this is the kind of perception thing Cruz will have to overcome here as a tea party guy national candidate.
http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/14/ex-congressman-hopes-for-beheadings-of-msnbc-and-cnn-journalists/
elissa (749b7f) — 1/15/2015 @ 10:00 pmI wouldn’t feel too much schadenfreude towards Alvarez if he were ideologically willy-nilly, or sort of non-liberal, although in the world of journalism that’s about as likely as a cold day in hell. So would the same reporter have ever made as much fun of, say, San Fran Nan? Or the geezer from Nevada formerly in charge of the other side of Congress? Hell, no.
But political biases and the virtue of serious objective journalism aside, I can see humor in aspects of John Boehner, with his notorious crying jags and skin that looks like it’s always seeing the inside of a tanning salon.
Mark (c160ec) — 1/15/2015 @ 10:09 pmThe person that was fired probably was a copy editor making a joke on the reporter’s copy before it was sent for viewing. Perhaps he was being a smart ass for the amusement of colleagues. Perhaps he hit a button too soon. He may have been a worthless jerk. Regardless, he broke an important rule: Don’t joke around with copy. If you do, expect to be fired. Everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes are the misplacement of apostrophes and such’s.
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 1/15/2015 @ 10:12 pmBy the way, I doubt seriously that TPM’s band of Cruz gangsters is that influential except for Jason Johnson.
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 1/15/2015 @ 10:24 pmThe person that was fired probably was a copy editor making a joke on the reporter’s copy before it was sent for viewing.
I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure he was actually a reporter/editor. The blog post carried his name in the byline.
JVW (60ca93) — 1/15/2015 @ 10:27 pmAssociate Editor. It’s in Patterico’s intro and also was in the news story about his firing.
elissa (749b7f) — 1/15/2015 @ 10:29 pmOK, I was trying to give the benefit of the doubt. If you’re going to call someone an editor, that person should at least do the job. No one can edit oneself and anyone who does is a fool. And that is why you should disregard anything that I may post. Unless I make a really good point. 🙂
Ag80 (eb6ffa) — 1/15/2015 @ 10:40 pmSo now what? Does he have to change professions? Since he was fired for cause, he can not get unemployment insurance payments – so what is his household to live on?
seeRpea (3cc998) — 1/15/2015 @ 11:23 pmI’ve been unemployed in the past way too long to not feel some sympathy for this guys situation. That is, if this was the first time and he usually does not act in such a manner in his own ‘social media’.
Sorry, you don’t get credit for taking responsibility or showing contrition after being caught in the act. There is nobility in coming forward about the stuff no one knows about, apologizing for being found out is ridiculous.
Secondly, this guy will wear this firing like a badge of honor, and he won’t have to mention it himself. Being “that dude who lost his job wishing death on a Republican” isn’t disqualifying in the media industry. He will land on his feet, soon, and he knows it.
Estragon (ada867) — 1/16/2015 @ 5:18 amhopefully his mom and dad have money or something
happyfeet (a037ad) — 1/16/2015 @ 7:07 amTruth be told, Charlie Hebdo was doing that, too, but all is forgiven and of no account when people got killed.
Sammy Finkelman (be6791) — 1/18/2015 @ 10:06 amHas Salon, TPM, or Gawker hired him yet?
JD (86a5eb) — 1/18/2015 @ 10:17 am