A reporter has been fired over his response to a Philadelphia 76ers post showing support for Israel.
On Sunday, the 76ers shared a statement via X on the attacks by terrorist group Hamas on Israelis in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
“We stand with the people of Israel and join them in mourning the hundreds of innocent lives lost to terrorism at the hands of Hamas,” the Sixers wrote in their post.
The team also added a “#StandWithIsrael” hashtag.
Jackson Frank, who was recently hired by the Philly Voice to serve as a reporter covering the 76ers, criticized the post via social media.
“This post sucks! Solidarity with Palestine always.” Frank wrote in response.
Jackson Frank, who recently became the Sixers beat writer for PhillyVoice, was let go following a tweet showing "solidarity" with Palestine in response to the team's remarks about Israel.
“Mr. Frank is no longer employed by https://t.co/8HRAUM3hY7 as of today,”
(Via @nypost ) pic.twitter.com/3jyBSW0Aul
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 9, 2023
Frank has since deactivated his X account. But screenshots of his post were already captured, and Frank has since been fired.
“Mr. Frank is no longer employed by PhillyVoice.com as of today,” PhillyVoice.com’s CEO told the New York Post. “We stand with everyone who is absolutely outraged by the senseless attacks in Israel, by the loss of innocent lives and violence against civilians.”
Over 800 Israelis are reported to be dead as a result of the attacks that began on Saturday, which fell on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Israel has since declared war.
Putting aside whether one agrees with Frank’s political views, it is regarded as a violation of traditional journalism ethics for a reporter to express a political view. Moreover, a critical tenet of journalism is to treat your subjects fairly and not show bias. Frank’s social media post very clearly demonstrated a negative bias against the team he was hired to cover.
