Journalist Who Bashed Chick-fil-A's Supporters for 'Hatred' & 'Unfounded Fear' on His Personal Facebook Page Reportedly Resigns

While the Chick-fil-A controversy is certainly simmering, there's still some chatter, fallout and ongoing opinion being thrown around on both sides of the debate. As TheBlaze has highlighted, gay activists and religious people weren't the only ones to get in on the discussion. Some journalists and reporters, too, made their views known.

In the midst of the chaos, FOX News' Shepard Smith, for one, seemed to dub "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" as a "Day of Intolerance." Now, another reporter who made some more flagrant statements -- but on his own, personal social media account -- has resigned from his Florida newspaper post.

The journalist in question, Mark Krzos, a (former) writer for the Fort Myers News-Press, apparently took to his Facebook page to make known his views on Chick-fil-A and those supporting the restaurant chain's opinion on gay marriage. While the post has since been removed, JimRomenesko.com reports that Krzos wrote that "the level of hatred, unfounded fear and misinformed people [who showed up at Chick-fil-A on "Appreciation Day"] was astoundingly sad."

Here's more of the purported messaging that was present on Krzos' page:

I have never felt so alien in my own country as I did today while covering the restaurant’s supporters. The level of hatred, unfounded fear and misinformed people was astoundingly sad. I can’t even print some of the things people said. …

It was like broken records of Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh and a recitation of half-truths and outright lies.

The post was shared nearly 100 times before it was deleted from Krzos' page. When confronted about it, his editor, Terry Eberly, said that it was "inappropriate" and that the newspaper was planning to take action to address it. Here's Eberly's full statement on the matter:

The comments made by reporter Mark Krzos on his personal Facebook page were completely inappropriate. They were done without the knowledge of The News-Press and violate our policies. When we became aware of the comments, we asked the reporter to remove them. We consider this a very serious matter that hurts our credibility and we will take strong and appropriate action.

We don't know the particulars, but after a meeting with his editor, the journalist has apparently resigned. GetReligion.org tackled this issue, providing some insight on both sides of the issue:

It’s an unpleasant thing to read. Yes, Krzos lost the trust of his readers. He most likely lost the trust of his bosses as well. He publicly made some extreme claims and was unable to substantiate them. That’s never a good thing to hear about a reporter.

Still, one hopes that a reporter might be given a second chance. Besides, we still don’t know if his story would have been more balanced than his Facebook rant. Every reporter is entitled to a little freak out amongst friends — what counts is what ends up in the story.

There’s much we don’t know. Perhaps this was part of a pattern. Or perhaps Krzos senses he might be better suited to advocacy instead of journalism.

Considering what we know about the story, where do you stand? Should the journalist have been forced out -- or would a slap on the wrist have been a more appropriate measure (remember, we don't know whether he was urged to step down or whether it was his choice to do so)? Let us know what you think in the comments section.

(H/T: Instapundit)

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• ‘National Day of Intolerance’: Did Shepard Smith Attack Chick-fil-A?