Update on Terry Frei of the Denver Post and tweet about Japanese Indy 500 winner

Update from former Denver Post sportswriter Terry Frei: "I'm grateful for the support I have received from fellow journalists and many others. The Denver Newspaper Guild's formal grievance involving my dismissal is pending. A first meeting on June 10 between Guild leadership and management did not produce a resolution. A second meeting is scheduled for June 28. I hope to be present at that meeting, along with my attorney. And I hope to be reinstated. I have made it clear I understand my tweet was ill-advised and it was ineptly and ambiguously phrased and led to misunderstanding, especially as the discussion got beyond those who are familiar with me and my work. I hate that. I'm mad at myself. But my reference and perspective involved nations, not ethnicity or race. I know I would have (stupidly) have posted something similar -- or "worse" -- if a German had won the race. I am the son of a World War II fighter pilot. I have interviewed veterans of both theaters for books and for many newspaper stories about athletes' contributions to the U.S. war effort. I was about to head to Fort Logan National Cemetery to place flowers on my parents' graves and salute the other veterans."

 

So he did not resign. I hope it makes it back. One idiocy should not ruin forty-one honorable years.

 

The tweet was not ambiguously phrased. It was not misunderstood.

At some point, he may want to consider that the point he was making was stupid and offensive. He's still defending it. He absolutely doesn't get it.

If I'm the Denver Post I want nothing to do with him.

 

His tweet is in the rear-view mirror behind the most recent stupid 23,000,000 tweets. If the Post wants to save money by getting rid of him, fine. But it's not like he has "tarnished" the brand of the company.

 

Nice appeal to emotion, though.

 

He's now saying it wasn't racist because it was about nations and not race yet he admits he would have made an even worse comment towards a German driver. Sounds like he hired a good PR firm for some fancy spin, all of which is BS.

 

Plus he added extra fuel to it in subsequent tweets and also by mentioning the name of his book in the first full-length apology.
Just another one who failed to realize that when you are extremely emotional about something, stay the hell away from social media.

 

All due respect, and all sympathy for losing your job, but that's a crock of shit.

 

It was absolutely misunderstood. It was misunderstood here, even.

And it's OK that he's "still defending it," in context. He is defending it very specifically against the charge that it was racist. If I Tweeted, "All women are whores," and someone said, "That Tweet was racist against Asians," I would concede that the Tweet was ill-sent, but defend it against the specific charge of racism.

 

No. It was semantically debated here and we all agreed it was "bigoted," which is basically the same thing as "racist" except with prejudice toward a different target.

 

It wasn't racist, and it's perfectly reasonable for him to say that it wasn't.

 

Dick, we disagree on the racist nature -- I think racist versus nationalist in regards to the Japanese is splitting hairs, and you don't. As Creosote said, I'll be happy to go with bigoted. Regardless, it's a flat-out stupid thing to tweet, and the constant defense of "my daddy fought the Japanese!" is really weak.