Newspaper Editor Fired Over 'Shove It' Obama Headline

Drew Johnson, the editorial page editor of the Chattanooga Times Free Press was fired after 14 months on the job for publishing an editorial with a headline that read: “Take your jobs plan and shove it, Mr. President.” The editorial ran Tuesday, the same day Obama visited Chattanooga.

The powers-that-be posted a notice Thursday explaining the firing:

The headline was inappropriate for this newspaper. It was not the original headline approved for publication, and Johnson violated the normal editing process when he changed the headline. The newspaper’s decision to terminate Johnson had nothing to do with the content of the editorial, which criticized the president’s job creation ideas and Chattanooga’s Smart Grid. The Free Press page has often printed editorials critical of the president and his policies.

Via his (unverified) Twitter account, Johnson disputes that he was terminated for doing what he claims is standard procedure:

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Follow  John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC