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Morning Herald's Mike Carlton resigns over Gaza column reaction
Columnist
leaves after being told he would be suspended for abusing readers
criticising his article on the Israel-Hamas conflict
6
August, 2014
Longstanding
Sydney Morning Herald columnist Mike Carlton has resigned after being
admonished by his editors for the way he responded to readers on the
heated topic of the Gaza conflict.
On
Tuesday evening, the editor-in-chief of the SMH and the Sun Herald,
Darren Goodsir, posted a statement on the website apologising for
Carlton’s offensive language.
“I
have become aware that Mike Carlton has corresponded with some Herald
readers and letter writers using inappropriate and offensive
language,” Goodsir wrote.
“This
behaviour is completely unacceptable.
“I
have asked Mike to apologise for these actions. Mike regrets his
behaviour and will be contacting affected readers to apologise.
“On
behalf of the Herald, I too apologise for any offence caused.
“In
dealing with our readers, it is a basic principle that our staff,
columnists and contributors should always behave with respect and
courtesy.”
However,
the Herald later took a harder line and informed Carlton he was
suspended from writing his weekly column for four to six weeks.
Carlton resigned immediately.
Another
Fairfax editor, Sean Aylmer, told Sydney radio station 2UE the paper
stood by the Carlton column of 26 July despite the strong reaction it
evoked.
“The
column was fine,” Aylmer said. “The issue wasn’t the printing
of the column. What sort of got him into trouble was the way he
responded to those readers, and it was totally inappropriate, using
very inappropriate language.”
“As
more emails emerged we kind of figured we needed to suspend him
because we certainly want to put the readers first and no one has the
right to treat people that way.”
However,
the Glen Le Lievre cartoon which accompanied the column was belatedly
deemed offensive by the paper and was removed from the website.
Carlton
told Guardian Australia he had no choice but to resign because
editor-in-chief Goodsir told him one thing and then Aylmer called and
said something else.
“Goodsir
and I agreed I would apologise to six of seven readers and that would
be it and I could continue writing,” Carlton said. “But he was
overruled higher up the food chain and I got another call.”
Carlton
said he was saddened that a once great paper had “buckled to the
bullies”. “The immense pressure from News Limited has got to
them, and that is the worst part of it.”
He
said he believed he had been suspended because of the language he
used with readers but also because of a vigorous campaign to
undermine him by News Corp, who reported that some readers who wrote
to complain about his views on the conflict in Gaza received emails
telling them to “fuck off”.
Carlton
has been on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse from people who
are angered by his support for the Palestinian people.
“I
was subjected to a fortnight of abuse from people calling me a Nazi
sympathiser to a slimy Jew hater, some with threats of violence. I
got hundreds of emails from as far away as the United States. They
called me a Nazi douchebag and occasionally I blew my top. That’s
what we do in Australia.”
The
author, former radio broadcaster and foreign correspondent is known
for his robust, intemperate exchanges on Twitter.
His
most recent comments on Twitter on Wednesday referred to coverage of
his resignation in News Corp newspapers: “I see the Murdoch rags
outdo themselves for vindictive sleaze and bullying this morning.
Scum.”
Investigative
journalist Kate McClymont has expressed her support for Carlton on
Twitter: “I am so upset by @MikeCarlton01 resigning from @smh. This
is a grim day for our profession.”
It
is the second time Carlton has parted ways with the Sydney Morning
Herald. When he refused to file his Saturday column in solidarity
with Fairfax journalists who were on strike, he was sacked. He
returned a year later.
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