A former Associated Press (AP) journalist and Stanford University graduate was reportedly fired from her job — just two weeks after she started — over anti-Israel remarks that she made in college.
Emily Wilder was told on Thursday that she was being fired from her position with The AP for violating their social media policy, after being told earlier in the week that she would not be let go. “They told me that I violated their social media policy and would be terminated immediately,” Wilder explained in the interview with San Francisco Gate (SFG).
Wilder added that even when she asked The AP to explain which policy she had violated, she was told “no.”
Her firing came after the Stanford College Republicans shined a light on comments she made during college, such as referring to the late Sheldon Adelson as a “naked mole rat,” as well as pointing out the pro-Palestinian activism she had been involved in.
Following the Twitter thread from the Stanford College Republicans, the Washington Free Beacon, The Federalist, and Fox News also published articles regarding Wilder’s anti-Israel comments, her pro-Palestinian activism and her employment with The AP.
“They told me that I violated their social media policy and would be terminated immediately, but they never said which tweet or post violated the policy,” she said. “I asked them, ‘Please tell me what violated the policy,’ and they said, ‘No.'” https://t.co/JJ948JORTY via @SFGate
— Amanda Becker (@AmandaBecker) May 21, 2021
Wilder explained that had been assured she would not be in “any trouble because everyone had opinions in college.”
“There’s no question I was just canceled,” Wilder explained. “This is exactly the issue with the rhetoric around ‘cancel culture.’ To Republicans, cancel culture is usually seen as teens or young people online advocating that people be held accountable over accusations of racism or whatever it may be, but when it comes down to who actually has to deal with the lifelong ramifications of the selective enforcement of cancel culture – specifically over the issue of Israel and Palestine – it’s always the same side.”
A spokesperson for The AP confirmed in a statement to the Daily Caller that Wilder had been “dismissed for violations” regarding “AP’s social media policy during her time at AP,” while also adding that they try to refrain from speaking on “personnel matters.”
The AP’s firing of Wilder comes after an Israeli airstrike demolished the building in which Al Jazeera, The AP, and the terrorist organization Hamas held offices. The outlet has denied knowledge that they shared a building with Hamas, explaining in a statement that they had “no indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building.”(RELATED: Rockets Launched From Syria Into Israel, IDF Says)”
Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Gaza on Thursday after 11 days of conflict.