Reuters editor Joe Maguire was shown the door a day after he gave his bosses the galleys of his book Brainless: The Lies and Lunacy of Ann Coulter. The news agency confirmed that Maguire had been granted "conditional approval" to write the book. Then Reuters terminated him anyway while obliquely pointing to its principles of "integrity, independence and freedom from bias." Hmm.
What struck me most about today's Times account of the affair is this touching detail:
A Reuters employee who insisted on anonymity out of concern at angering management said that the 20 or so employees at the markets desk where Mr. Maguire had been one of two editors in charge "took a group coffee break" in solidarity on Thursday.
Awright! Long live journalistic solidarity, which resulted in a group coffee break, no doubt at considerable personal peril to the participants. Bravely faced dangers included a Sweet 'n' Low overdose and possible java stains on the protesters' shirts.
I don't know about you, but I'm kvelling.
I'll bet management was quaking in its boots during the entire half-hour sip-a-thon.
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