The Santa Barbara News-Press shocked readers on Christmas Day with a writer’s byline edited to include an anti-gay slur.
Staff writer Paul Gonzales’s name was changed to Paul Gayzalez, and the line that followed read, “News-Press Faggoat.”
Hey @sbnpnews: what's this about? pic.twitter.com/rhRZss2ofR
— Max Matthies (@Selfmademax) December 25, 2017
The homophobic edit to the story about last minute Christmas shopping was made by another employee at the paper who has since been fired.
The paper ran an editor’s note regarding the situation on Wednesday that included an apology, reading:
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In Monday’s News-Press, one of our employees changed another employee’s byline to reflect an offensive slur. The News-Press has taken immediate and swift action with this employee; we do not tolerate any form of harassment in the workplace. We apologize to our readers.
“It was a very poor decision made by an employee who is no longer in a position to make that same mistake. The employee is no longer in the building,” news editor Donald Katich told SF Gate. “There is a process we are obligated to follow when it comes to discipline or termination.”
