Monday, January 23, 2012
Politics / Media Atlanta Jewish Times publisher who penned 'Obama hit' column resigns (Update)
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 2:59 PM
After attracting worldwide attention by writing a column suggesting Israel consider assassinating President Barack Obama, Atlanta Jewish Times owner and publisher Andrew Adler has reportedly decided to exit the journalism game. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports:
Andrew Adler, in an email obtained by JTA, announced Monday that he is "relinquishing all day-to-day activities effective immediately" following the publishing of his opinion piece saying that Obama's assassination was among Israel's options in heading off a nuclear Iran.Adler named staff writer John McCurdy as interim managing editor until a replacement can be found. Adler said he would publish an apology in his next edition and that reaction from readers had been overwhelmingly negative.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta said earlier Monday that it would suspend its relationship with the Atlanta Jewish Times until Adler removed himself from the newspaper's operations. The federation also called on Adler to sell the weekly. [ed. JFGA is a fundraising organization and philanthropic group that's advertised in AJT]
"While we acknowledge his public apology and remorse, the damage done to the people of Israel, the global Jewish people, and especially the Jewish Community of Atlanta is irreparable," the Atlanta federation said in a statement issued Monday to constituent groups.
We've called the Jewish Times to confirm the report and comment. Adler, who told CL on Friday he was sorry for penning the column, had been criticized by the Anti-Defamation League and numerous Jewish civic groups.
UPDATE, 3:11 p.m.: Jerry Farkas, the Jewish Times' business manager, tells us in a voice message:
"Yes, Mr. Adler has stepped down and is no longer the managing editor of the paper. We now have a new managing editor whose name is John McCurdy. And that will be until we can sort through this and work with the Federation of Greater Atlanta to get a permanent managing editor."
UPDATE, 3:35 p.m.: Contrary to what was reported earlier, Farkas tells us there are "no plans at this time to sell the paper."
Farkas says the paper, which is privately owned, plans to set up an advisory committee which will include members from the community and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta to find a new managing editor. The committee will also examine how the paper operates.
Comments (5)
Showing 1-5 of 5
I had a short conversation with a couple of the AJT advertisers. They appear to have been caught off guard, same as the rest. One advertiser said that he had been bombarded with calls and emails for days. All disavowed support for the column. None of them were willing to say they would continue advertising with the paper -- most said they were pulling their ads immediately.
Circulation, Jan. 1: 3,500. Circulation Feb. 1: probably close to zero. If Adler's got the operating capital to keep going, we'll see.
The Jewish Federation appears to want to work with the paper -- sans Adler -- to transition to new editorial control and new ownership.
Adler seems to know just how badly he screwed up. He's a UGA journalism grad. This moment defines him, probably for the rest of his life. The sheer viral nature of the awfulness ensures that anyone doing a cursory Google search for his name will find 500 links to this story and the fallout around it before they find anything else about him. His reputation is ruined. And he's not a 20-something blogger with a trigger-finger keyboard. The guy's got to be in his 50's.
If you want to see his apology, the Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasting site has an 18-minute video of him talking about it, tearfully. It's painful to watch. He breaks down more than once. I'd feel worse if what he wrote wasn't so damned destructive. I think it's clear to him that he's about to lose his investment in the paper, "everything I have," he said. I'm starting at square one ... less than square one, he said.
http://www.aibtv.com/video/programs/unsc/a…
We live in the land of the Anonymous Internet Asshole. The bastards around us, coarsening civil discourse, can make people say and do stupid things just to be heard over the noise. Sanity is a casualty. So are people like Adler, here.
like
dislike
I've made mistakes in my journalism life and paid for them. But never anything as big as this. Blaming the "anonymous Internet asshole" for this behavior is a cop-out. Adler did this to himself.
So now let me do some analysis some will find almost as out-there as what Adler wrote.
What's really coarsening, it seems, is discourse within the Jewish community, as the ultra-Orthodox there become ever-more extreme, and as Israel's interests become ever-more divorced from those of the U.S., where so many Jewish people live.
You can sometimes see something similar among Catholics, my original tribe, with people like Bill Donahue echoing the views of the hierarchy against a Catholic community whose views are quite different. And, remember, the future of Catholicism is not on the line. It's going to be fine.
To those Adler speaks for the same is not true for Judaism and Israel. They feel they're on the barricades, and it's driving them crazier-and-crazier.
As in this example.
I hope SS keeps an eye on this vile person, after threatening our president's life,I wouldn't put anything pass him.
Interesting he is older, I thought for sure he was a younger guy.
Also Interesting his comments about speaking to the Israeli government official who says we need to wake up and that it drove him to come to those 3 options as "being on the table"
He mentions just trying to get people on Israel's side and I guess "to wake up" Problem is his wake up to what?
Its false to believe that Netanyahu or Adleson's way of dealing with things is the only way. Or that it could even justify considering such extreme acts.
Hopefully he can sell the paper. He can probably get a job on Newt's staff. I mean it seems like Newt's 5 million dollar benefactor, Sheldon Adleson, could think the same way.
You may be right, Dana. I don't mean to let him off the hook -- his comments were vile, and I'm permanently opposed to political violence. It's just ... I don't know. I'd like the lesson learned here to be something greater than scalp-taking.
There's a bigger problem than one guy mouthing off to get attention. The more we keep talking like this, as a society -- from Palin's crosshairs on a map and Sharron Angle's "Second Amendment remedies" to the stupid racist trolls in comment boards -- the more that regular, reasoned, sane people will come to view all political discourse as the realm of the unhinged. Add that silence to real, actual awfulness like another financial meltdown, a war or a serious political scandal and you have the breeding ground for the worst kind of violent political reactionaries.
I fear for the future of our country. I fear that Adler is a signpost for worse to come.
Latest in Fresh Loaf
-
Vernon Jones wants to return to the Gold Dome and other interesting qualification tidbits 1
Qualifying period ends, dust settles, campaigns begin
-
Suspects in Pittsburgh gay bashing slated to go to trial Tuesday
The men accused of beating Brandon White in Southwest Atlanta already headed to court
-
Film Clips: Men In Black 3
Men in black are back, Chernobyl's tourism industry is booming, and music festival romance all this weekend 'at the movies.'
- More »
More by Author
-
Deal appoints former aide to important GDOT post 5
Decatur resident Toby Carr has no formal training in transportation
-
Most popular damn posts o' the week
So, what's up with that Beltline trail?
- More »
