Ben Montgomery, a former reporter for Axios, reportedly prepares delicious crepes with whipped cream and strawberry compote. It’s fortunate that he has numerous skills, but he will only be using one of them in the near future.
There will be no reporting.
Montgomery was reportedly fired by Axios on Tuesday after the Tampa-based writer replied to a press release by Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis by labeling it “propaganda.”
According to Mediaite, the news release concerned a Department of Education event given by DeSantis and aimed to “expose the diversity equity and inclusion scam in higher education.”
The action comes as DeSantis and Florida Republicans continue to advance legislation that would effectively eliminate diversity, equality, and inclusion departments at state schools and institutions.
The Orlando Weekly stated that the occurrence occurred on the same day that the measure passed out of subcommittee in the Florida House of Representatives.
“These bills effectively eliminate DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and other types of discriminatory programs and activities. But it also prohibits soliciting pledges of DEI or CRT (critical race theory) or any political viewpoint that’s a condition of hiring, promotion or admissions,” according to the Orlando Weekly.
Nevertheless, as Florida Department of Education communications director Alex Lanfranconi disclosed in a Monday afternoon Twitter post, not everyone in the media was pleased with the event, notably Montgomery, who had the following seven-word comment to DeSantis’ press release:
This afternoon, Tampa based @axios journalist @gangrey decided to respond to our press release with the below. pic.twitter.com/XkL5nBwZSs
— Alex Lanfranconi (@AlexLanfran) March 13, 2023
While every Axios employee who claims the magazine is impartial, nonpartisan, and politically moderate should have been nominated for an Oscar on Sunday, Axios is not an opinion or commentary newspaper. It is a hard news website that functions as a sort of updated wire-service news agency for the smartphone era, similar to The Associated Press or Reuters for consumers with short attention spans.
Even with the inherent liberal slant, this would not go undetected; on Tuesday, Charlotte Klein of Vanity Fair reported that Montgomery had been dismissed over the email.
News: Axios fired @gangrey on Monday over this email https://t.co/YcuaBUiRfd
— Charlotte Klein (@charlottetklein) March 15, 2023
“This reporter is no longer with Axios. Out of respect for our employees, we do not discuss conditions of departure,” said Axios editor-in-chief Sara Kehaulani Goo in a statement.
More on this story via The Western Journal:
At the Poynter Institute, a non-profit school of journalism and research organization in St. Petersburg, Florida, owned by the Tampa Bay Times, senior writer Tom Jones reported Montgomery’s side of the story. CONTINUE READING…