CNN’s Brian Stelter criticizes AP for firing staffer after 'bad faith outrage campaign'

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CNN anchor Brian Stelter slammed the Associated Press Sunday for firing staffer Emily Wilder over pro-Palestinian tweets, claiming it had given into a "bad faith outrage campaign."

Wilder, a recent Stanford University graduate, was freshly hired and fired by AP in Phoenix for violating the company’s social media policy. Her tweets jumped on the recent pro-Palestinian bandwagon and criticized current tensions in Israel.

The "Reliable Sources" panel slammed the AP in reaction with Stelter himself ripping the news organization.

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"Lots of tweets about one journalist, one out of thousands," he said. "Let’s be honest – she has no editorial leadership role. She was working in Phoenix, for goodness sakes."

"It all comes down to this idea that one person, even if you hate what they post on Twitter, they do not represent the entirety of a global news operation. And once we all agree on that, we shouldn’t fall prey to these bad faith campaigns."

Wilder was originally called out via Twitter by Stanford College Republicans, along with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. The AP released a statement making it clear that all AP journalists are responsible for "safeguarding our ability to report with fairness and credibility and cannot take sides in public forums."

Numerous mainstream journalists have erupted at the AP for dismissing Wilder, who said she was devastated by the development. The AP said she was dismissed for violating its social media policies. Wilder had previously written anti-Israel posts, accusing the Jewish state of "ethnic cleansing" and referring to late Jewish donor Sheldon Adelson as a "naked mole rat."

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"This was a result of the campaign against me," she told the Washington Post. "To me, it feels like AP folded to the ridiculous demands and cheap bullying of organizations and individuals."