Carl Haglund Foundation Calls on KNKX to Rehire Cliff Mass

Organization creates online petition calling for station manager to apologize and rehire noted meteorologist 

SEATTLE, WA – The Carl Haglund Foundation has created an online petition calling on KNKX station manager Joey Cohn to apologize to meteorologist Cliff Mass and rehire him. 

The Carl Haglund Foundation recently wrote a letter to Cohn criticizing the decision to fire Mass. The noted meteorologist and KNKX on-air personality wrote an essay on his personal blog condemning the violence and riots in downtown Seattle. Mass, a Jewish man, drew comparisons to the infamous Kristallnacht, the “night of broken glass,” in which German brownshirts destroyed Jewish businesses in the 1930s. Cohn bowed to left-leaning donors and fired Cliff. 

KNKX has faced considerable backlash for its decision to fire Mass. Social media posts on Twitter and Facebook have been highly critical of Cohn’s decision. The Carl Haglund Foundation is now mobilizing that criticism into a online petition calling on the station to apologize and rehire Mass. The petition can be found at:

https://www.change.org/p/knkx-radio-rehire-cliff-mass-at-knkx

According to Haglund, “Cliff Mass in just the latest victim of the cancel culture mob that seeks to destroy anyone who disagrees with them. It’s not enough for these people to simply disagree. They feel the need to destroy people. They got him fired from KNKX and now they are tying to get him fired from the University of Washington. Until someone stands up to the mob, it will continue to devour more victims.”

In his letter to Cohh, Haglund wrote, 

I am extremely disappointed that you have decided to act like the very mob Cliff Mass describes in his recent blog post. As the manager of a public radio station, you should be facilitating open dialogue, promoting dissenting and unpopular views, and protecting the men and women who are brave enough to speak up. As radio station manager, you occupy a place of privilege that requires a higher standard of conduct. Sometimes that conduct mandates taking a brave stand even if it might be harmful to your bottom-line in the short run. Instead, like so many of your colleagues wedded to social media, you have chosen the path of cowardice—firing Mr. Mass because the Twitter Mob demanded it. Firing him in the misguided belief you could appease the mob, sacrifice an innocent man, and in doing so, save yourself. 

Since issuing his call to defend Mass, Haglund himself has become a victim of violence. While parked next to the Tenants Union building, his truck was vandalized. Assailants broke out his front door window, shattering glass into the front seat of his car. “This is what happens when you speak up now” Haglund noted. “The intolerance of the left-wing mob in Seattle is so full of hatred. We have seen businesses destroyed, our amazing African-American police chief has been run out of town and anyone criticizing the violence, like Mr. Mass, get fired.” 

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