The piece’s publication attracted immediate criticism for promoting hate and putting black journalists in danger. Last month, the New York Times published an opinion piece by Republican Senator Tom Cotton calling for the military to provide an “overwhelming show of force” to restore order in US cities during the protests over the killing of George Floyd.
The reference to editors being fired is perhaps the most well-known recent incident. The Harper’s letter invoked similar cases of what it saw as punitive overreactions to unpopular views, suggesting they formed part of a larger trend:Įditors are fired for running controversial pieces books are withdrawn for alleged inauthenticity journalists are barred from writing on certain topics professors are investigated for quoting works of literature in class a researcher is fired for circulating a peer-reviewed academic study and the heads of organizations are ousted for what are sometimes just clumsy mistakes. Employees at Rowling’s publisher subsequently refused to work on her forthcoming book.
Actor Daniel Radcliffe (“Harry Potter” himself) joined a chorus of disapproval of her comments, arguing they erased “the identity and dignity of transgender people”.
