RIA Novosti fires political journalist over anti-gay posts
04/07/2011
Submitted by
ILGA-Europe
Original article: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110630/164935044.html
Russian news and information agency RIA Novosti terminated the employment of its political commentator, Nikolai Troitsky, over anti-homosexual posts in his personal blog, the agency's spokeswoman, Alla Nadezhkina, said on Thursday.
"RIA Novosti does not control or censor its journalists' blogs...However the ways of public expression must be civilized, without signs of extremism," RIA Novosti editor-in-chief Svetlana Mironyuk said.
Commenting on photos from Berlin's gay parade, Troitsky said in his blog that he dreamed about a bomb that would "kill only faggots." "If these perverted dogs died, Earth would become much cleaner," Troitsky said in the post.
Nadezhkina said that RIA Novosti had terminated the employment because Troitsky's comments were a direct violation of the ethical code of RIA Novosti workers.
"I was sacrificed on the altar of political correctness and European values," Troitsky said, adding that though he might not have been right "in some phrasings," he did not forfeit his overall views.
Russian news and information agency RIA Novosti terminated the employment of its political commentator, Nikolai Troitsky, over anti-homosexual posts in his personal blog, the agency's spokeswoman, Alla Nadezhkina, said on Thursday.
"RIA Novosti does not control or censor its journalists' blogs...However the ways of public expression must be civilized, without signs of extremism," RIA Novosti editor-in-chief Svetlana Mironyuk said.
Commenting on photos from Berlin's gay parade, Troitsky said in his blog that he dreamed about a bomb that would "kill only faggots." "If these perverted dogs died, Earth would become much cleaner," Troitsky said in the post.
Nadezhkina said that RIA Novosti had terminated the employment because Troitsky's comments were a direct violation of the ethical code of RIA Novosti workers.
"I was sacrificed on the altar of political correctness and European values," Troitsky said, adding that though he might not have been right "in some phrasings," he did not forfeit his overall views.
