Why Was David Sirota Fired?

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1. southwerk says:

   June 25, 2014 at 9:17 pm

   I read his stuff all the time. I don’t always agree with but he’s a fine writer who is willing to take on issues others dodge. I’m very sorry. I hope he bounces back quickly. jp

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2. Marian Cruz says:

   June 25, 2014 at 9:19 pm

   This is very disturbing. We need all voices to be heard. I mostly agreed with him and wish him well.

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3. K Quinn says:

   June 25, 2014 at 9:19 pm

   They were afraid of the truth.

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4. Marian Higgins says:

   June 25, 2014 at 9:22 pm

   David Sirota is a quality journalism; some I read regularly. It’s disturbing when someone of his heft is fired. I find it hard to believe big money is not behind this.

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5. Marian Higgins says:

   June 25, 2014 at 9:22 pm

   Correction: journalist, not journalism. Sorry.

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6. anthonycody2013 says:

   June 25, 2014 at 9:25 pm

   Maybe they have applied for a grant to cover education issues from the Gates Foundation?

   http://pando.com/2014/06/05/revealed-gates-foundation-financed-pbs-education-programming-which-promoted-microsofts-interests/

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7. LLC1923 says:

   June 25, 2014 at 9:28 pm

   Follow the money to the gates foundation, certain governors/legislators and charter profiteers. Stand strong David Sirota and turn up the heat!

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8. FLERP! says:

   June 25, 2014 at 9:35 pm

   I just realized one of the reasons why I like this blog: I spend so much of my time looking at the world through dark, cynical lenses, but here, I’m a cockeyed optimist. I find the tone of Carr’s denial compelling enough to withhold all judgment on this one until more facts are in.

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   • Marian Higgins says:

     June 25, 2014 at 10:41 pm

     Thank you Flerp. I love being the cockeyed optimist.

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   • Joe V. says:

     June 26, 2014 at 2:04 am

     I was a subscriber of NSFWCorp back in it’s heyday long before Sirota joined, and stuck with them as it merged into Pando Daily. If there is one big character flaw about Paul Carr, it’s that he runs things into the ground. Even he admits it. When the ‘Corp was going under, it was trying to do a kickstarter-like campaign to expand globally. It failed miserably, the company was in dire straits before Pando came in to save the day.

     Now, there’s a kickstarter-like campaign to do an uncensored history of NSFWCorp. Before that, i noticed weird click bait items on the side bar that were even blatently labled click bait. I also can’t figure out the point of memberships or the events they go to or throw. But as soon as I saw the Kickstarter-like campaign, my thoughts immediately went to any scene that features oranges in The Godfather. Somebody is going to get whacked.

     Carr may be right about everything, and walks the walk about journalistic integrity and whatever. But I also think this is a simple money thing, they’re blowing more than we can possibly ever know. Maybe Pando bites the dust at the end of the year. This is the only thing he hasn’t denied or answered for on twitter afaik. The only other compelling theory is that Christie’s lawyers are bleeding Pando dry, and firing Sirota makes it go away. He denies that one.

     Or it could be worst case scenario, compromized ethics and a coverup. I don’t know. All i know is that I never heard of Sirota until Carr hired him at NSFWCorp, and he gave him a platform to do his thing. Come to think of it, I also never heard of Diane Ravitch until Yasha Levine was estatic that one of his NSFWCorp pieces was linked by this blog. I want to give him some benefit of the doubt, no matter how bad of a move it is.

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9. NY teacher says:

   June 25, 2014 at 10:50 pm

   Arne Duncan should be next!

   Please read, sign, and circulate this petition. Thank you.

   http://www.petition2congress.com/15685/dump-arne-duncan/

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   • Ellen Lubic says:

     June 26, 2014 at 8:56 pm

     Thanks for this petition…just signed it and urge all other to do so. I am forwarding it to all my lists.

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10. john a says:

    June 25, 2014 at 11:12 pm

    The answer is obvious: Sirota wrote the truth; he he had to go; he was a danger to silicon valley boys.

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11. Robert Rendo says:

    June 26, 2014 at 12:10 am

    Why don’t we let David Sirota answer the question . . . . . .

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    • john a says:

      June 26, 2014 at 10:31 am

      Robert re read Diane’s post; it posed a rhetorical question and asked for poster’ responses without explicitly doing so. Of course, a direct response from DS would offer the ‘best’ explanation, but remember that DSS remains a public writer who will probably retain his professional discretion.

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    • Ellen Lubic says:

      June 26, 2014 at 9:06 pm

      Sirota is generally very forthcoming about things like this firing. He probably will be commenting soon on Huffpost.

      When his first major book was published some years ago, he was supposed to speak in LA and also do a book signing. The large outfit handling this canceled him only days before the event saying not enough people would attend…which was baloney…they must have gotten the word to cancel from on high..that self proclaimed god, Eli Broad. The wonderful progressive activist, Bob Greewald, not only spoke up for David, but held a similar event at his own headquarters in Culver City. It was standing room only and I have my signed copy.

      Sirota is not only a great journalist, but he is a man of principle.

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12. Vermont Educator says:

    June 26, 2014 at 6:09 am

    One more victim of the class warfare we are witnessing. The rich will take only so much before they strike back.

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    • NJ Teacher says:

      June 26, 2014 at 7:20 am

      Right Vermont! Why should the proletariat have a voice?

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      • Vermont Educator says:

        June 26, 2014 at 10:17 am

        Remember the old bumper sticker: “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” Millions of Americans are not paying attention. The World Cup, Super Bowl and Miss America are all more important.

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13. Naked Teaching (@ShirleyWill3) says:

    June 26, 2014 at 10:11 am

    I’ll be watching for the follow-up here.

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14. Gordon Wilder says:

    June 26, 2014 at 11:50 am

    Those regular readers of the Columbia Journalism Review will note that this kind of thing has been going on for a long time. “News” and good reporters has been supplanted by a quest for more of the bottom line, short term money making. AND the one area of our Constitution which is mentioned because of its vital importance to a democratic form of government is now in the hands of money making Crony Capitalism. For serious readers the import is appalling.

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15. dolphin says:

    June 26, 2014 at 12:33 pm

    Reblogged this on Dolphin and commented:
    They fired David Sirota. Unbelievable.

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16. schoolgal says:

    June 26, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    This is horrible and I wish there had been the same outcry when Michael Winerip was also “demoted” from reporting education issues over at the NYTimes. Every editorial went against anything he wrote about. Now his other assignment BOOMERS has been taking over by someone else and I have no idea what Winerip is doing now. If anyone knows, please let me know because I truly respect this reporter.

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17. Stepan Petrichenko (@pyotr_kropotkin) says:

    July 1, 2014 at 12:07 am

    What about the theory that he was purged for being a Greenwaldian deviationist?

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