Mike Carlton resigns from Fairfax Media after intense pressure from anti-semitic backlash
FAIRFAX columnist Mike Carlton remains unrepentant over his resignation, believing editors were terrified by anti-Semitic backlash.
FORMER Fairfax columnist Mike Carlton has responded to his resignation on independent media website Crikey, claiming he’s received endless abuse from offended readers after he wrote a column criticising Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In the latest controversy, Carlton was caught out sending abusive responses and tweets to readers who questioned his position on the conflict, calling one critic a “Jewish bigot” and telling several others to “f**k off”.
“I’ve been called a bag of Nazi slime, a Jew-hating racist … endlessly,” he told Crikey this morning.
“Much of it has been obscene. I suppose, half-a-dozen times, I hit back and told people to get f***ed”.
Huge thanks to Fairfax colleagues, media and other mates - and most of all you fair-minded Australians. Moved by your support.
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) August 6, 2014Lots of great phone calls, too. Nice one from Wayne Swan, a good man.
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) August 6, 2014
Carlton said the decision to suspend him came from Fairfax business and metro publisher Sean Aylmer, who overruled Sydney Morning Herald editor-in-chief Darren Goodsir.
Goodsir wanted to suspend Carlton for four to six weeks after the abusive reports surfaced in The Australian.
“They said they want to suspend me for four to six weeks to “consider”... but I said “don’t bother I’m resigning. I hung up on them,” Carlton told the Daily Mail Australia.
“I had overwhelming support from Herald readers, people saying “good on you”... but I think at the top of the Fairfax tree they were terrified.”
Got 450+ emails on my column today. 85% support. 5% reasoned argument against. 5% racist abuse. Another 5% demented, pornographic, violent.
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) July 26, 2014Cracked 700 emails about my column today. 80% favourable. 10% hysterics about Nazi scum, Arab pigs. There's a few Jewish racists out there.
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) July 27, 2014Gmail account shut down. Pleased, really.. Ends the torrent of foul abuse from demented Likudniks. "You're killing my kids, Nazi !"
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) August 5, 2014BELOW: MIKE CARLTON’S HISTORY OF ABUSE
IN FULL: CARLTON’S CONTROVERSIAL SMH COLUMN
IN FULL: MIKE CARLTON’S RESPONSE TO BACKLASH
One of these emails surfaced on Andrew Bolt’s blog on Monday, and in today’s edition of The Australian, several of Carlton’s abusive responses to readers are published.
This morning, Aylmer went on Fairfax-owned radio station 2UE and told hosts Garry Linnell and John Stanley that Carlton and Fairfax had “parted ways”.
“Many readers wrote to Mike but what got him into trouble is the way [Carlton] responded to those readers, and it was totally inappropriate and using inappropriate language,” Aylmer said. “It’s important to stress it’s not the [original] article itself but the way he treated readers.
Carlton remains unrepentant this morning after intense pressure to apologise, tweeting of his disappointment that a “once great newspaper buckled to the bullies”.
Confirming I have quit the SMH, sad that a once great newspaper has buckled to the bullies. Thanks for your support...maintain the rage.
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) August 5, 2014I am so upset by @MikeCarlton01 resigning from @smh. This is a grim day for our profession.
— Kate McClymont (@Kate_McClymont) August 5, 2014@MikeCarlton01 Very sorry to hear that. Fairfax appears to have a death wish. How mealy-mouthed we have all become.
— Jane Caro (@JaneCaro) August 6, 2014His former colleague, cartoonist Glen Le Lievre tweeted his support this morning.
An honour to have drawn @MikeCarlton01 's column for the last three years. This was one of my favourites- pic.twitter.com/1R5RvBBXvE
— Glen Le Lievre (@GlenLeLievre) August 5, 2014According to Mr Alymer, representatives from Fairfax Media called Mr Carlton last night to enter into discussions to fix the issue.
“We said we’d suspend him and he’s resigned on the spot,” Mr Alymer said.
“He was apologetic. He accepted he had gone too far. As more emails emerge we kind of figured we needed to suspend him. We need to put the readers first.
“It wasn’t one or two emails, It was several emails. You just can’t do that.”
Six years ago (when editor of the SMH) we sacked Mike Carlton. Biggest mistake the Herald made was taking him back. http://t.co/p8dLMxMVSe
— alan oakley (@alanoakley3) August 5, 2014Fairfax made the right call on Mike Carlton. No journalist should tell anyone to F off. A lesson for all. Know where to draw the line.
— Stephen Mayne (@MayneReport) August 5, 2014I don't like to speak ill of colleagues, but good riddance Mike Carlton. Your blatant anti semitism and the #smh cartoon have no place here
— Joel Labi (@JoelLabi) August 5, 2014@hughriminton @MikeCarlton01 ridiculous. Mike speaks out on issue many feel strongly about, is bullied, harassed, hacked&now censured.
— Simon Black (@supercatsimon) August 5, 2014Last night, The Sydney Morning Herald’s editor-in-chief Darren Goodsir apologised to readers and called Carlton’s behaviour “completely unacceptable”.
“I have asked Mike to apologise for these actions. Mike regrets his behaviour and will be contacting affected readers to apologise,” he wrote.
@dberkos Oh FFS, you stupid little pissant.
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) August 4, 2014I got the feeling Mike Carlton ain't gonna like the cover of this week's Australian Jewish News. pic.twitter.com/GJbVexWZ6R
— Nick Dyrenfurth (@dyrenfurth) July 31, 2014Statement from The Sydney Morning Herald editor-in-chief Darren Goodsir http://t.co/QyVdfIUz6e via @smh
— Darren Goodsir (@sirgooddarren) August 5, 2014According to The Australian, Mr Goodsir wrote to one disgruntled reader: “Your points are valid, and well made — and, while I am not sacking him as you have urged, please rest assured that I have admonished him in the strongest terms”.
Carlton’s column on the conflict in Gaza on July 26 had many readers up in arms and this week Fairfax apologised for running a cartoon, which it said in hindsight was racist, that accompanied it.
@AlexRyvchin @smh And I am expecting you to apologise for lying about me. Bet you don't.
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) August 5, 2014NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president Yair Miller told The Australian, “This is not the first time Mr Carlton has resorted to abusive responses to members of the Jewish community over many years and we are glad the SMH editors are now aware of this”.
The Sydney Morning Herald is reportedly working in overdrive to save its plummeting subscriptions, with readers appalled at the Herald’s coverage of the Israeli/Gaza conflict.
“Israel has never offered the Palestinians a just and equitable peace,” Carlton wrote in his column.
“There will be the customary torrent of abusive emails calling me a Nazi, an anti-Semite, a Holocaust denier, an ignoramus.
“As usual they will demand my resignation, my sacking. As it’s been before, some of this will be pornographic or threatening violence.”
Carlton has a long history of abusive interactions with readers.
It’s the second time he’s been dismissed by Fairfax, after refusing to write a column during a strike by Fairfax journalists in 2008.
But I can take that John Roskam no longer. What a sinister, unctuous creep he is.
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) May 5, 2014@AnthonyFrisina Pissant.
— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) April 8, 2014@DavidOldfieldAU @smh say that to @MikeCarlton01 . He is having a meltdown about it.
— Brad Paterson (@paterson_brad) April 24, 2014
- youngma@news.com.au
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