Axios fired one of its reporters after he called a press release from Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-Fla) Education Department "propaganda."
"This reporter is no longer with Axios. Out of respect for our employees, we do not discuss conditions of departure," Axios editor-in-chief Sara Kehaulani Goo told Fox News Digital.
The press release gave an update on a roundtable that DeSantis hosted on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), critical race theory (CRT), and "the impact that these concepts have had on Florida higher education institutions and the students that attend them."
Axios reporter Ben Montgomery emailed the Florida Department of Education press office, calling the press release "propaganda," which was then made public on social media by the Florida department's director of communications, Alex Lanfranconi.
Deputy press secretary for DeSantis Jeremy Redfern questioned whether the Left-leaning media company was real journalism, saying, "is this journalism?"
Montgomery attempted to make light of his bad news by confirming that he was fired, suggesting that he now had time to make breakfast since he no longer had a job.
"Some personal news: I made crepes this morning for the first time in years. Strawberry compote and whipped cream. They were delicious," Montgomery wrote on Twitter.
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The Axios reporter said he believed the press release lacked context and wasted his time.
However, despite being fired, Montgomery claimed he doesn't regret sending the email because his teenage daughters told him they were proud. He also acknowledged that he could have better navigated his opinions, lamenting how he handled them.
"I regret being so short," he said, adding, "in the style of Axios, I used smart brevity, and it cost me."
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