Philadelphia sports reporter fired after expressing solidarity with Palestinians

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A sports reporter was fired after posting online that a Philadelphia 76ers’ pro-Israel post “sucks” and that he stood in solidarity with the Palestinians. The incident occurred amid ongoing international debate around the Israel-Hamas conflict in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack. 

Key Players

Prior to his dismissal, Jackson Frank covered the Philadelphia 76ers NBA team for PhillyVoice. Previously, he wrote for other sports outlets, such as SB Nation and The Athletic.

PhillyVoice, a local online medium founded in 2014, covers Philadelphia and South Jersey news. Hal Donnelly serves as its CEO. 

Further Details

In response to the Oct. 7 attack, in which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and kidnapped about 240, the Philadelphia 76ers released a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, the following day. 

“We stand with the people of Israel and join them in mourning the hundreds of innocent lives lost to terrorism at the hands of Hamas,” the statement reads, with the hashtag #StandWithIsrael.

Shortly after, Frank replied to the post, writing in a since-deleted Tweet that, “This post sucks! Solidarity with Palestine always.” Later that day, Frank covered the 76ers’ preseason game against the Boston Celtics. After the game, Frank saw an email from his editor about the post, for which he apologized, as he did not want it to become a further issue with his editors.

Outcome 

Frank fired from PhillyVoice

In an Oct. 11 statement to the New York Post, Donnelly said that Frank had been fired. 

“Mr. Frank is no longer employed by PhillyVoice.com as of today,” Donnelly said. “We stand with everyone who is absolutely outraged by the senseless attacks in Israel, by the loss of innocent lives and violence against civilians.”

Frank deleted his X account in the wake of online harassment against him, but later reactivated it.

Frank clarifies position, acknowledges job loss

After losing his job, the sports reporter discussed what had happened in a conversation with the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, a weekly community newspaper that is the second-oldest continuously published Jewish-oriented newspaper in the United States.

“[The 76ers] were not the first nor the last sports organization to release a statement,” Frank said. “I disagree with those posts. I felt a call to criticize the team I cover. It’s a prominent world event and I felt it was important to me to address where I stood.”

Frank further maintained his position on sports organizations selectively involving themselves in geopolitical affairs, saying that teams like the 76ers were “implicitly saying the lives and safety and autonomy of Israelis is more important than Palestinians. There’s never been any statement condemning what Israel is doing in Gaza or the lives lost,” while adding that antisemitism was a serious issue, both domestically and globally.   

“I’m disappointed to have lost my job,” Frank said. “But I think if my opinion on this matter is so starkly different from the figureheads of Philly Voice then […], it’s probably for the best. I’m proud that I stood by my values. If it caused me some financial distress in the short term, so be it.”