Add this to the mix.
http://blogs.post-trib.com/davich/2010/04/april-fools-day-joke-goes-awry.html
April Fools Day joke goes awry with angry, confused readers
By
Jerry Davich
on April 1, 2010 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
It was only a joke.
Possibly a horrible joke. Possibly a great joke.
But it was simply an April Fools Day joke gone awry.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's probably a good thing or you too may be unhappy with me today.
On Wednesday night, I wrote on my online blog that I was fired from the Post-Tribune due to public backlash from a previous column.
That column, from Wednesday, compared Christian extremist militias with radical Islamic terrorist groups, and I received plenty of reader feedback - most positive, some negative, and one anonymous caller labeling me a "Commie pinko faggot." I kid you not (this time).
I also posted links to my blog via my Facebook and Twitter accounts late that night, as I do with most of my columns.
That entry, in part, read: "Post-Tribune columnist fired over sacrilegious column against Christians," followed by a brief summary of my mock termination and a farewell goodbye to my readers.
Minutes after I posted it online, I began receiving e-mails, texts, and online messages.
"Are you freaking kidding?!!!!!" wrote Candace Shaw on my Facebook page.
Yes, Candace, I was freaking kidding.
But too many readers didn't know this, even though I tried directing them to e-mail me, where they would receive a "APRIL
FOOLS!" auto-reply.
Trouble is, most readers didn't follow my directive and instead believed I was fired.
"The actions which the Post-Tribune have taken are wrong, whether you agree or disagree with Mr. Davich's opinion. This is the final straw for me with mainstream media, which lets the dollar override the facts!" wrote one reader, echoing similar comments from others.
Even my own mother called me around midnight, asking if I just lost my job.
"Is it true?" she asked.
No, mom, it's not true. It was just a joke. Ha, ha, ha, ugh.
On Thursday morning I received more calls, including one from a P-T editor telling me that readers were already calling the office complaining.
I felt bad that my stupid little April Fools Day joke spun out of control and caused any hassles for P-T staffers and editors, so I wrote an in-house e-mail apology to them, explaining my intent.
The blog entry also prompted readers to leave disparaging comments, which then prompted my bosses to remove that entry entirely by mid-afternoon on Thursday. (You can read my original post further below).
But not before it served as an interesting experiment about knee-jerk reactions, misguided assumptions and, to be honest, appreciative support from readers of this column space.
Most of the feedback I received was supportive, but a few offered insights I never considered, such as this one from Tony Bianco.
"Good one Jerry! Although it says something about the present climate in this country that we could actually believe you could be fired for this," he said.
Interesting, huh?
Another reader jumped on that theme and ran with it, wryly noting, "The question is, why weren't we more surprised than we were? This must say something about today's job market."
Then again, I also received a call and e-mail saying "good riddance" to me, obviously from readers who don't like my columns.
"I've been waiting for the Post-Tribune to fire you for years," one reader told me. Ouch.
Other readers used this situation to vocalize their feelings about their own preferences and prejudices.
"It would appear that a number of readers are typical Fox News fans accustomed to swallowing any news without thinking," one reader said.
Quite a few readers didn't appreciate my attempt at humor at their expense.
"Surely Jerry Davich being fired over a 'sacrilegious' column is a joke... not a funny one at that," one reader said.
"I wasted an hour of my morning researching and responding to this rumor," one woman told me. "Bad Jerry, very bad Jerry."
Another one wrote, "Jerry, I'm writing from the emergency room at Porter. I had a heart attack when I heard what happened to you. Missed the humor."
Then again, several readers totally "got" my April Fools Day humor, including Facebook reader Lee Rademacher, who joked, "I knew it was all a scam since the entire editorial board is composed of commie pinkos."
And Michelle Quinn, a P-T correspondent who asked, "Can I have your desk?"
And a blog commenter who goes by the name of Rickie Surkamer, who wrote: "I am so glad to here they (PT) fired you. I have read some of your other stuff and it is total crap.
"I hope the word gets out in the industry about you and no one else makes the mistake of hiring you. I have the greatest respect and confidence in the top management of the POST-Trib. I highly praise them for firing you. You are an embarrassment to honest journalists."
Then, at the bottom of his post, similar to my blog post, he wrote, "APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!"
Kudos to you, Rickie. You really had me for a minute.
Then again, I get similar e-mails somewhat frequently from readers. No foolin'.
On Wednesday afternoon, after Post-Tribune editors allegedly received an avalanche of feedback from angry readers regarding my column that day, I was fired by the top brass.
By Wednesday night, my desk was emptied (by a security guard), my office key was yanked from my hand (by a coworker who I will name later), and my computer was "intensely investigated" (by a company I.T. expert). This is a bunch of bull - - - -, I told them all.
The only concession allowed by management was to write one final blog entry (NOT one last column of course!) so this blog entry is it for me at the P-T.
It should be noted, however, that this blog entry is being reviewed, edited, and censored by management as I write it, but it's all I have to clear my name and my reputation regarding Wednesday's column.
That column, which can be found here, compared a "Christian militia" group called Hutaree to a radical Islamic terrorist group and, apparently, it prompted a public outcry from readers - Christian readers, that is.
"Davich should be held to the fire for this column or I'm cancelling my subscription," one disgruntled reader said.
"He's not a columnist, he's a communist," hissed another reader.
"How dare Mr. Davich write such a thing on Holy Week. He should be persecuted, or at least fired," another reader allegedly told my bosses.
I tried pleading my case to my editors, but obviously the decision was made long before I was allowed to defend myself, and my column. By the end of the work day, I was no longer a Post-Tribune employee.
By Wednesday night - after repeated requests to at least write this final blog entry to explain myself - I was drained by the whole stinking ordeal. As I write this - at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday - I feel it doesn't really matter what I say. I'm gone either way.
So, instead, I will write my reaction to this (unfair and illegal) dismissal after I leave this building and return home.
If anyone is interested in reading it, which will include details of my firing and behind-the-scenes insights on that column in question, email me at
[email protected]. (I'm told that my email account will stay active through the week's end. And it had better or I'm hiring an attorney.)
Anyway, I want to thank the thousands of readers across Northwest Indiana who have regularly read my columns through the years, and who have supported my daily goal of revealing the truth (even if too much truth ended up costing me my job).
It's been a great adventure, and I'm very appreciative of you allowing me into your homes, your lives, and your hearts. Please feel free to email me with any feedback, reactions or, ahem, job leads. I'm sure I'll land on my feet somewhere.
Until then, thank you also for your time, your comments, and your loyalty.
Sincerely,
Jerry Davich
[email protected]
