Boston.com has fired an editor who mocked death threats against House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), following a complaint from the speaker’s office.
Former associate editor Victor Paul Alvarez tweeted Thursday that that his bosses found the article “inexcusable” and fired him.
Ordered silent yesterday. Now I can comment: The story I wrote was awful. Tasteless. Mean. Bosses felt it was inexcusable. They fired me.
— Victor Paul Alvarez (@vpaulalvarez) January 15, 2015
Alvarez’s article, originally headlined “Would anyone have noticed bartender succeeded poisoning John Boehner?”, dealt with death threats a former bartender at Boehner’s Ohio country club allegedly made against him. A line that read “Had [Boehner] been poisoned as planned, perhaps his pickled liver could have filtered out the toxins” — a reference to the speaker’s drinking habits — was removed after the article went live.
The news site’s general manager, Corey Gottlieb, said in a statement that the references to Boehner “were off-color and completely inappropriate.” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel agreed.
“I would have thought it would be obvious to any sentient human being that your item mocking the threats against the speaker and his family was completely insensitive and inappropriate,” Steel wrote in an email, as quoted by the Boston Globe. “Should you wish to offer an explanation, or – better – an apology, feel free to respond.”
Mike Sheehan, the chief executive of Boston.com’s parent company Boston Globe Media Partners LLC, told the Globe that he sent an apology note to Boehner’s office Wednesday afternoon.
