Journalist Matt Forney was sacked by news organization The Blaze within a week of publishing racist and anti-Indian statements on social media that targeted CEO of Indian descent. The outlet stated that the termination was due to "concerning" social media posts, although it did not clarify which posts were the cause of the decision.
“I have been let go from THE BLAZE. My Tweeting was cited as ‘concern[ing]’. I was not given specific examples of Tweets that they were ‘concerned’ about, and THE BLAZE had reached out to me BECAUSE of my Tweeting in the first place,” Forney wrote on X.
On November 4, Forney suggested that the US should "deport every Indian" and referred to Kruti Patel Goyal, the new CEO of Etsy, as "unqualified," sparking the uproar. “Yet another unqualified Indian takes over an American company,” he noted. “And I guarantee her first action will be to fire every American and replace them with other Indians, either directly or via bodyshops. DEI: Deport Every Indian.”
Forney has a history of posting disparaging remarks about India on social media using the hashtag #OperationChimpOut, which has drawn a lot of criticism.
{{/usCountry}}Forney has a history of posting disparaging remarks about India on social media using the hashtag #OperationChimpOut, which has drawn a lot of criticism.
{{/usCountry}}Matt Forney faces backlash
Meanwhile, several people condemned Forney's posts, including Manhattan Institute fellow Renu Mukherjee, who took issue with Forney's tendency to mocking Indians. Given the GOP's recent successes with Indian voters, Mukherjee voiced alarm about the possible consequences for the party.
“Well, The Blaze just hired a ‘reporter’ whose entire beat is, apparently, to demonise a single ethnic group in the US-Indian Americans. ‘DEI’ or ‘Deport Every Indian’ as he writes,” Mukherjee said.
“This will end terribly for the GOP, who made substantial gains with Indian voters in 2024, ” she added.
“How do you know she is unqualified? Have you reviewed her résumé versus the other candidates?” another X user asked.
Matt Forney and The Blaze
Before this episode, Forney revealed his affiliation with The Blaze in a pinned post on X. He described his work at The Blaze as a reporter covering Indian affairs and H-1B visas. He highlighted the impact of H-1B and diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) measures in his debut piece. “I’m pleased to announce that The Blaze has hired me as a reporter on H-1B/Indian issues,” he said on X while sharing the link to his article.
Who is Matt Forney?
Forney is a writer and editor from Syracuse who now resides in New York. He formed the independent literary publisher Terror House Press and was its chief editor from 2018 until 2024, according to his website. A number of periodicals, including The Peach and Misery Tourism, have published his work.
He has been creating content for enterprises, such as legal firms, travel agencies, and health websites, for more than ten years.