Nir Rosen was known as an author and pundit with extensive experience in the Middle East—until this week, when he became known as the guy who was forced to resign from his position at NYU after thoughtlessly mocking Lara Logan on Twitter. To Rosen's credit, he has been forthright and effusive in his apologies, and has repeatedly admitted that he did something stupid. So what wisdom can he share with the rest of us, as a man who has suffered the wrath of a global internet backlash? NYU Local scores an interview with Rosen, in which he says:

A few crude jokes on twitter do not make a philosophy, they just make you a momentary jerk. I didn't mean it and I have a record of eight years of risking my life for justice to prove my values. Had I been a right-wing writer I doubt this would have happened to me. That said, twitter is not a place for nuance and I should stick to long form journalism.

Truest thing said about Twitter... maybe ever! Though the "right-wing writer" bit we find hard to believe. Rosen argues that he was taken down by the "right wing attack machine." Whereas we would argue that he was taken down by a bunch of normal people pissed off at what he wrote on Twitter. He also says that "Had Logan been a non-white journalist this story would have never made it to the news." That, too, is foolish. Let's say the same thing had happened to... (*brainstorming the scandalously few non-white journalists in America*) Gwen Ifill. Gwen Ifill, sexually assaulted, in Egypt. Of course that's going to make the fucking news. Just not quite as much.

Nir Rosen doesn't completely understand how the news cycle works. But when it comes to Twitter: listen to the man.

[NYU Local. Photo: CAP/Flickr]