Michael Eisen, editor-in-chief of an academic journal and UC Berkeley geneticist, was fired from his position after retweeting a satirical news headline from The Onion that called for “indifference to the lives of Palestinian civilians.”
Eisen, 56, announced his resignation on X Monday after receiving significant backlash online for endorsing The Onion’s fictional story.
“I have learned that I am being replaced as editor-in-chief of @eLife for retweeting a piece from @TheOnion calling for indifference to the lives of Palestinian citizens,” he wrote.
Eisen had retweeted an Onion article titled “Dying Gazans Criticized for Not Using Last Words to Condemn Hamas” on October 13, just days after the massacre by Hamas terrorists that led to the loss of 1,400 innocent lives.
He expressed support for the article’s message, adding: ‘The Onion speaks with more courage, insight and moral clarity than the leaders of every academic institution combined. I wish there was an Onion University.”
Michael Eisen, editor-in-chief of an academic journal and UC Berkeley geneticist, was fired from his position after retweeting a satirical news headline from The Onion that criticized “indifference to the lives of Palestinian civilians.”
Eisen announced his resignation on X Monday after receiving significant backlash online for endorsing The Onion’s fictional story
Despite the backlash he faced, Eisen defended his tweet the next day, emphasizing that The Onion’s satire was intended to highlight a serious issue.
The eLife board, which governs the organization, released a statement announcing the decision to replace Eisen as editor-in-chief.
“We thank Mike Eisen for his creativity and vision in building eLife’s transformative new publishing model. Mike has received clear feedback from the board that his approach to leadership, communications and social media at key times has been detrimental to the cohesion of the community we are trying to build and therefore to eLife’s mission. It is against this backdrop that a further incidence of this behavior has contributed to the board’s decision,” the statement said.
“The board remains committed to eLife’s Publish – Review – Curate model and the important role early-career scientists play in making it a success.”
The board plans to replace Eisen with two temporary staffers who will serve as co-editors until the search for the position is completed in the second half of 2024.
eLife has not provided any additional comments regarding their position on the issue or their policies regarding freedom of expression in the workplace.
Eisen’s post sparked online comments, with many claiming he had made light of the tragic terror attack in which children and the elderly were tortured, raped and kidnapped.
“Hello Mike, for us Israeli Jews, the piece of onion is very painful. I don’t think you fully realize what we’ve been through here. I’m a big believer in satire and sarcasm, until it touches on the most extreme human tragedies,” one person wrote.
Others called him out for his ignorance and naivety on the subject.
‘Seriously asking: how do you propose Israel should respond? None of us want innocent civilians to die on any side. Should Israel just do nothing? You know very well that Hamas deliberately hides, fires rockets and has armories among its citizens,” one user added.
Despite the backlash he faced, Eisen defended his tweet the next day, emphasizing that The Onion’s satire was intended to highlight a serious issue.
‘The Onion is not making light of the situation. And me neither. These articles use satire to make a deadly serious point about this horrific tragedy,” he said.
“Every sane person on earth is shocked and traumatized by what Hamas has done and wants it to never happen again. Even more so as a Jew with an Israeli family. But I am also shocked by the collective punishment already being imposed on Gazans, and the worst yet to come,” Eisen wrote on X.
Eisen’s post sparked online comments, with many claiming he had made light of the tragic terror attack in which children and the elderly were tortured, raped and kidnapped.
Some called his statement a false blanket statement – claiming that it is simply not true that all “sane people” condemn Hamas – as world leaders support Hamas’ deadly attacks and anti-Semitism and pro-Hamas rallies are spreading across the country.
‘It’s not so clear Michael, you can see it clearly from the university, the media and personal statements. People don’t seem to get it. And you are a public figure, a leader for us. Your statement should be clear,” one person commented. ‘Israelis are also being punished collectively.’
Middle Eastern leaders have expressed support for the terrorist organization, including the Iraqi Prime Minister’s office “The operations that the Palestinian people are carrying out today are a natural consequence of systematic oppression.”
Qatar, Iran and Syria issued a similar statement blaming Israel for the horrific surprise attack.
Many American politicians have also failed to condemn Hamas, such as Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, while spreading misinformation, including the accusation that Israel was responsible for a hospital explosion blamed on Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Many found his sentiments insincere: ‘Empty words. For seven days, you didn’t tweet a single message of support for Israeli researchers, some of whom lost children and friends. And now you dare to give us military advice from your privileged security position. What moral bankruptcy.’
But some of his colleagues argued that his views should be considered a matter of free speech in academia.
eLife, the journal of which he was editor-in-chief, is a non-profit, peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal for the biomedical and life sciences.
There was a petition urging eLife’s publisher, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), not to sanction Eisen in response to his firing.
Some of his colleagues argued that his views should be considered a matter of freedom of expression in academia
There was a petition urging eLife’s publisher, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), not to sanction Eisen in response to his firing
Eisen had retweeted an Onion article titled “Dying Gazans Criticized For Not Using Last Words To Condemn Hamas” on October 13, just days after the massacre by Hamas terrorists that led to the loss of 1,400 innocent lives.
“Every right-thinking person on earth is shocked and traumatized by what Hamas has done and wants it to never happen again… But I am also shocked by the collective punishment already being inflicted on the people of Gaza, and even worse is coming’ Eisen wrote about X
Petitioners stated: ‘Our position is not based on the merits of Eisen’s positions. Rather, we believe that punishing Eisen would set a chilling precedent for free speech in academia.”
Several colleagues at eLife have already resigned in protest at his dismissal, including fellow editor Lara Urban.
The war between Israel and Hamas has stirred strong feelings across the country, with many posting anti-Israel comments online.
In recent weeks, several people who expressed anti-Semitic rhetoric online have been removed from their positions.
Citi has fired one of its personal bankers after she defended Hitler and the Holocaust in a vile anti-Semitic post following the Hamas terror attacks.
CUNY Brooklyn College graduate Nozima Husainova, 25, sparked outrage with the comment she posted on her now-deleted Instagram page and has since lost her job, the bank confirmed Thursday.
In response to a post about the Gaza hospital bombing, which Israel has denied, she wrote: “No wonder why Hitler wanted to get rid of them all,” complete with a smiley face emoji.”