The editor-in-chief of an academic journal says he was fired for sharing a satirical article published by The Onion about people dying in Gaza facing backlash for not condemning Hamas.
Michael Eisen, a professor of genetics at the University of California, Berkeley, who until recently led the leading open-source scientific journal eLife based in Cambridge, UK, tweeted Monday about his dismissal.
“I have been informed that I will be replaced as Editor-in-Chief of @eLife for retweeting a @TheOnion piece expressing indifference to the lives of Palestinian civilians,” Eisen wrote on X.
On Oct. 13, nearly a week after Hamas terrorists launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel that killed an estimated 1,400 people, Eisen shared The Onion article titled, “Dead Gazans Criticized for Not Using Last Words to Condemn Hamas.”
In an accompanying post, Eisen wrote: “The Onion speaks with more courage, insight and moral clarity than the leaders of every academic institution put together. I wish there was a university @TheOnion.”
Michael Eisen, a professor of genetics at the University of California, Berkeley, said he was fired as editor-in-chief of the academic journal eLife for sharing an article satirizing Onion. Michael Eisen/Facebook
Eisen, who is Jewish, quickly drew criticism on social media for his remarks, but he stood by his stance, Science Magazine reported.
“Every sane person on Earth is horrified and traumatized by what Hamas has done and wants it to never happen again,” he wrote in a follow-up post. “More so as a Jew with an Israeli family. But I am also horrified by the collective punishment that has been inflicted on the people of Gaza, and worse that is to come.”
Eisen is in trouble for sharing an X The Onion article titled, “Dead Gazans Criticized for Not Using Last Words to Condemn Hamas.”
The outspoken academic also defended The Onion, arguing that the parody newspaper “doesn’t make light of the situation.” And so am I. These articles use satire to make a deadly serious point about this horrible tragedy.”
Eisen’s comments sparked a firestorm in the scientific community, with some academic colleagues calling for him to step down from his role at eLife, which he has held since 2019.
Yaniv Erlich, an Israeli-American computer scientist and CEO of the company Eleven Therapeutics, called Eisen out for failing to voice his support for his colleagues in Israel.
I have been informed that I will be replaced as Editor-in-Chief @eLife to retweet a @Onions a piece calling for indifference to the lives of Palestinian civilians.
— Michael Eisen (@mbeisen) October 23, 2023
Eisen, who is Jewish, announced his dismissal on X Monday.
“And now you dare to give us military advice from your privileged position of security,” Erlich said. “How morally bankrupt.”
In response to the chorus demanding Eisen’s resignation and calling for a boycott of eLife among researchers, a petition was launched urging the journal’s publisher, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, not to reprimand the editor-in-chief for its public. comment.
“Our position is not based on the merits of Eisen’s views,” the petition reads. “On the contrary, we believe that punishing Eisen would set a precedent that does not encourage free speech in academia.”
Eisen praised the parody newspaper The Onion for speaking out with “courage, insight and moral clarity.” Getty Images
Following Eisen’s firing, Lara Urban, a review editor at eLife, tweeted that she was resigning in protest.
“Mike’s firing for expressing his personal views sets a dangerous example of free speech in our academic community, and it validates cyberbullying as a successful and legitimate tool to get scientists with controversial opinions fired,” Urban wrote.
Eisen’s comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict set off a firestorm in the scientific community .Michael Eisen/X
eLife’s board of directors issued a statement Tuesday regarding its decision.
“Mike has been given clear feedback from the board that his approach to leadership, communication and social media at key times has been detrimental to the community unity we are trying to build and in turn to the mission of eLife,” it read in part.
“It is against this background that further occurrences of this behavior have contributed to the board’s decision.”
The board thanked Eisen for his “creativity and vision,” and said that his position would be filled on an interim basis by two long-serving deputy editors until the end of 2024.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
