Reporter Conor Berry resigned from the Republican in Springfield, Massachusetts after a tweet about Pres. Donald Trump and the Annapolis newsroom shooting.
Berry tweeted — then deleted — a picture of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hat, suggesting the shooter “dropped one on The Capital Gazette’s newsroom floor before gunning down five people,” the Boston Globe reported. Springfield, Massachusetts is located 25 miles north of Hartford, Connecticut; the Republican is partnered with MassLive.com and owned by Advance Publications.
“It was a snarky, sarcastic, cynical remark, and there’s nothing I can do to take it back,” Berry told the Globe.
The Republican‘s executive editor Wayne Phaneuf said in a statement in the newspaper’s own article about Berry’s resignation:
“We need to be more vigilant than ever to be fair and accurate in a climate in which we are scrutinized and criticized. The Republican newspaper and our partners at MassLive.com are committed to report the news with the truth paramount.”
Phaneuf told iMediaEthics by e-mail that the paper’s circulation “is about 35-40k . Our MassLive.com website is one of the most read in New England.”
On Twitter, Berry apologized, writing: “Folks, My 21-year career as a ‘journalist,’ a fancy term that makes my skin crawl, frankly, came to a screeching halt yesterday with one stupid, regrettable tweet. Can’t take it back; wish I could. My sincere apologies to all good, hardworking reporters and to POTUS supporters.”