A Michigan reporter who was fired after leaving a profane voicemail with a Republican candidate’s office expressing the hope that he would lose has apologized, saying: “I am human.”
Brenda Battel lost her job at the Huron Daily Tribune after calling the campaign office of Republican Senate candidate John James to request an interview, trying to hang up and then accidentally leaving a recording of exactly what she thought of him.
It would “suck” if “fucking John James” beat Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow, she said.
“My apologies to @JohnJamesMI. I am human,” Battel tweeted Tuesday. “I made a mistake. While I did my best to be a fair, objective, professional journalist, what I said reflected none of those traits. For this, I am truly sorry to all of those who have been affected by my mistake.”
Annoucing her dismissal, Kate Hessling, editor of the Huron Daily Tribune, said in a statement Tuesday: “I have listened to the voicemail left by Brenda Battel to Mr. James’ campaign, and find no reason to defend this behavior. … Brenda Battel’s employment has been immediately terminated.”
In the voicemail, which was uploaded to YouTube and first reported by the Daily Caller, Battel can be heard saying, “Man, if he beats her … Jesus. Fucking John James. That would suck! Whew, I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
The Huron Daily Tribune apologized for Battel’s comments, stating that they “do not represent the views of the Tribune as a whole, nor do they reflect the actions of a responsible journalist.”
My apologies to @JohnJamesMI. I am human. I made a mistake. While I did my best to be a fair, objective, professional journalist, what I said reflected none of those traits. For this, I am truly sorry to all of those who have been affected by my mistake.
— Brenda Battel (@brendabattel) November 6, 2018
James, a West Point graduate and combat veteran, is running against Stabenow on Tuesday. RealClearPolitics poll average indicates that Stabenow has an 8.3-point lead over James.
