However, they also admitted to mishandling the situation and vowed to defend their staff against online attacks. The AP have stated they fired Wilder for breaching their social media policies while she was an employee, not for her previous activities at college. At a staff town hall Amanda Barrett, a deputy managing editor, told employees that trust had been lost but that: “The AP will protect you. Details of the town hall were passed to the Guardian by a source who was able to listen in. Wilder, the statement continued, “was a young journalist, unnecessarily harmed by the AP’s handling and announcement of its firing of her”.

Source: The Guardian May 26, 2021 20:03 UTC