Nir Rosen Apologizes After Joking About Lara Logan's Assault On Twitter

UPDATE # 2: Nir Rosen talked to FishbowlDC's Betsy Rothstein on Wednesday afternoon. He apologized again for his tweets about Lara Logan, and said, "a man should never joke about women being abused or harassed." Rosen said that what began as "black humor" led to statements "I could not possibly mean...being taken seriously and I was hurting people I didn't even know without any intention." He also said that he has "quite radical" views on women's rights, and that he has spent years reporting on the suppression of women's rights. "By joking around with some friends I betrayed all that and betrayed my family, friends and supports, and I brought shame upon myself and them," he said.

Read the full interview here.

UPDATE: Nir Rosen has resigned his fellowship at New York University, the university announced Wednesday. Rosen had been a fellow at NYU's Center For Law and Security, but CLS director Karen Greenberg said in a statement that he had stepped down after coming under fire for joking on Twitter about Lara Logan's assault. (See below for tweets.)

Greenberg's statement:

Nir Rosen is always provocative, but he crossed the line with his comments about Lara Logan. I am deeply distressed by what he wrote about Ms. Logan and strongly denounce his comments. They were cruel and insensitive and completely unacceptable. Mr. Rosen tells me that he misunderstood the severity of the attack on her in Cairo. He has apologized, withdrawn his remarks, and submitted his resignation as a fellow, which I have accepted. However, this in no way compensates for the harm his comments have inflicted. We are all horrified by what happened to Ms. Logan, and our thoughts are with her during this difficult time.

ORIGINAL POST: Journalist Nir Rosen apologized on Tuesday after a series of tweets in which he joked about Lara Logan's sexual assault.

Rosen is a veteran war correspondent who has garnered praise for his reporting from Iraq and the Middle East. But he ran into trouble when he tweeted, "Lara Logan had to outdo Anderson. Where was her buddy McCrystal." (Rosen deleted that and several other tweets about Logan.)

Rosen then said that he couldn't forgive Logan for defending Stanley McChrystal and condemning Rolling Stone writer Michael Hastings for his report on the former general.

In response to people criticizing him for his comment about Logan, he then tweeted, "Yes yes its wrong what happened to her. Of course. I don't support that. But, it would have been funny if it happened to Anderson too."

After that came a series of tweets in which Rosen defended himself and then apologized profusely for his earlier comments, saying they had brought "shame" on him and his family.

PHOTOS:

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Comments

[sophiesmother]

12:14 PM on 02/18/2011

Debbie Schlussel of the NY Post has made many horrible comments about Lara Logan's assault. Check out the commentary at Daily Beast about Nir Rosen.

[mango55]

02:20 PM on 02/18/2011

She also said "there is very little difference between the left and the dominant, violent, fanatical forces in Islam. In fact, there’s really no difference at all." Really??

[haljil]

07:17 AM on 02/18/2011

Shocking here is that Debbie Schlussel - a conservative commentator said: "she (Logan) should have known the risks!" "No one told her to go" and that she "should have known what Islam is all about!" Surprisingly this woman has not apologized and much like Anne Coulter's terrible remarks about the 9/11 widows years ago, will not apologize. Nir Rosen made a horribly insensitive mistake and apologized, the right wing is not however held to the same standard - very sad!!!

Ironically Lara Logan's husband was part of the terrible "Green Zone" establishment (NOT the uniformed Military!) in Baghdad years ago as a defense contractor, where some pretty horrible assaults and attacks were engineered! Women who didn't conform to the corrupt inept establishment there, could reckon with being fair game with their characters being impugned and in some cases physical assaults planned and executed against them. These women had no recourse to justice because the establishment covered everything up with the usual pathetic "national security" excuse! The women I'm alluding to were all American and yet couldn't ask for help!

It's horrible that Ms. Logan has to now face this and has no way to ask for justice either. Rape, sexual assault and awful physical attacks don't differentiate: politically, racially, gender wise, religiously or in any other way! There can never be an excuse to joke about or condone such behaviour - this is something against which everyone must take a stand regardless of their affiliations or who or what they

[Cougar29]

03:15 AM on 02/18/2011

Was Dachau funny too Nir? I'd bet you'd cry over that you hypocrite.

[Dave in Northridge]

11:35 PM on 02/17/2011

far too little, far too late. This is what happens when you don't think before you tweet.

[mick e]

07:53 PM on 02/17/2011

I wonder how much humor he would see if the same thing happened to his wife, mother or daughter

[Contact1972]

07:27 PM on 02/17/2011

This man makes fun of rape and thinks it's specially funny if it happens to a male reporter. Rape or sexual assault should NEVER be taken lightly or made fun of. Shame on him.

[susie1776]

04:50 PM on 02/17/2011

Sorry.....no forgiveness for you. You were thoughtless and insensitive. I hope if you're married that your wife slapped you silly!~

[NonPrawf]

04:28 PM on 02/17/2011

Think before you tweet.

[gingerred]

04:16 PM on 02/17/2011

I am very happy that his resignation was accepted. Now he should be forgotten. My thoughts and Prayers for Ms.Logan and her family.

[ashan]

02:01 PM on 02/17/2011

He should be fired.

[Contact1972]

07:28 PM on 02/17/2011

Agreed

[mvalle888]

11:16 AM on 02/17/2011

Do you know who is CBS correspondent Lara Logan’s husband? Sure we do, he is Joe Burkett and we can tell you many things about him, would you like to know more? I thought you did,
Joe Burkett: Lara Logan’s Husband http://sports.rightpundits.com/?p=5887

[DomainDiva]

12:55 PM on 02/17/2011

Who cares about any silly little expose you may have linked to? All her business was pretty much public. Lara has been through a horrid experience, how would you want your spouse treated (if you have one) in a situation such as this?

[gingerred]

04:22 PM on 02/17/2011

And what does this have to do with HER assault and rape ?

[jgallery]

11:08 AM on 02/17/2011

I'll bet some of his best friends are women

[Nivlag]

11:18 PM on 02/17/2011

He once dated a woman. He won't be dating any woman for some time, but he did.

[lovergirl59]

09:56 AM on 02/17/2011

WOW=I am reading these comments and it really disappoints me that people actually blaming her. Its so sad to be an American today.Also what you think of Fox and i really dont care, you people blaming them to. Why is everything have to be about politics. Miss Logan was Rape and Beaten and some people here are blaming her.LIKe i said before ITs sad to be an American We dont know how she really is or how her family is handleing this and its not our business, all we can give that family is ou prays

[gingerred]

04:26 PM on 02/17/2011

Fan #1 It is their way of thinking if you do not agree with their political views then whatever happens you deserve but if she were one of their own you would need riot squads to protect that man.

[lovergirl59]

05:24 PM on 02/17/2011

SO TRUE, if she was one of them , and i think she is, but who cares---i dont care what she believes in , she was raped and my heart goes out to her and her family and FOX had nothing to do with

[NonPrawf]

04:30 PM on 02/17/2011

I used to work for a battered women's shelter. It is common for people to blame the victim because it gives one the belief that you are in control.

[sydneymoon]

06:48 PM on 02/17/2011

Yep.

[quillerm]

09:27 AM on 02/17/2011

Nobody is safe in the middle of a mob of Muslims. This guy punishment should be a hundred hours of sensitivity training not losing his job. He knows Muslim men regard western women as 'Ho's'. If they find one alone she will be assaulted. Keep up security for our Newswomen and provide them weapons and training for self defense.

[PWM]

12:53 PM on 02/17/2011

Gereralize much about Muslims.

[diisopropylphenol]

04:50 PM on 02/17/2011

In those male-dominant cultures, fondling women who dare to venture out in public _is_ a cultural phenomenon, used to discourage women from leaving the home. Call a spade a spade and save your whining for those who cause these problems.
How about, "Thank God that a bunch of Egyptian women were able to get the soldiers over there to intervene with the misogynistic cabal that were in the process of getting their jollies under the guise of 'teaching upstart these women a lesson they will not forget' " - how about that?

[susie1776]

04:52 PM on 02/17/2011

I agree. The sentence should correcly have read, "Nobody is safe in the middle of a MOB." period..the end.

[ArleneMcC]

07:12 PM on 02/17/2011

Hey - Who do you think saved her Martians ?

[KIVPossum]

09:18 AM on 02/17/2011

Don't see how anyone can joke about se.xual as.sault, much less broadcast it on twitter

[Chi--townfool]

11:01 AM on 02/17/2011

Sarah Silverman makes rape jokes all the time

[JahRudeBoy]

12:19 PM on 02/17/2011

Sarah Silverman isn't a fellow at NYU.

[Aleks Hunter]

01:20 PM on 02/17/2011

So Sarah SIlverman is your moral compass?