Shortly after the Oxford High shooting, the Michigan chapter of the National Association for Gun Rights released a press release that pushed back on calls for gun control. Erin Marquis, an editor for Wirecutter was not happy about this press release and decided to leave a voicemail for the group in which she called them “F**king Ghouls” among other things. The profanity laden voicemail was released by the Michigan chapter for the National Association for Gun Rights and the story was immediately picked up on by The Washington Post and others.
You can listen to the voicemail for yourself below. WARNING: EXPLICIT AUDIO.
Erin Marquis was fired after the voicemail was released and it is easy to see why. Erin Marquis was fired for invoking her position at the New York Times in the voice mail, if this was just a nasty voicemail it would have gone unnoticed by all. Marquis for whatever reason, revealed where she worked and tried to use that to up the ante on her comments, this is what got her canned at the publication.Â
These kinds of nasty voicemails and other comments and emails are all too common, it is a shame but nothing you can really do about it. Was the New York Times right for firing Marquis? Yes, she tried to use her position at the New York Times as ammo in her rant. Is this cancel culture? No, cancel culture is when everyday people who don’t have any means for which to defend themselves are targeted by anonymous mobs on the internet. In the case of Erin Marquis, one publication shared the story and her employer responded by firing her.
