After a rage-filled meltdown when Donald Trump won the election, the editor-in-chief of a once highly respected science magazine has apologized.
Laura Helmuth (editor in chief, of Scientific American, the oldest continuously-published magazine in American History) reportedly used social media last Tuesday night to launch a series of invectives at those in her generation who voted for Trump.
According to screenshots shared with the Daily Mail, she wrote: “I apologize to younger electors that my Gen X is so full of Fascists.”
She added, “Solidarity for everyone whose meanest and dumbest high school classmates are celebrating their early results, because they’re f***ed to the moon, back, and forth.”
Helmuth has even expressed apparent shame about her Midwestern roots by decrying Indiana as a hotbed of bigotry.
According to the Daily Mail, she stated: “Every four years I think back to why I left Indiana where I grew up and why I admire the people who have stayed to try to make the state less racist and sexist.”
The moral arc will not bend by itself.
These alleged remarks were not well received, as one might expect. Soon, social media users started calling for Helmuth to resign.
Wow, you should fire that unhinged editor. According to the Daily Mail, one user said that she needed a rest in padded surroundings.
She should be expelled from any organization that she is a part of. The trust in science has plummeted because of these egregious pathetic bigoted scientists”, reportedly said another.
Helmuth apologized for her “shock” and “confusion” over the election results.
Helmuth, according to The New York Post, wrote: “I am sorry for the offensive and inappropriate posts I made on my Bluesky personal account on election day. “I value and respect people from all political backgrounds. These posts that I deleted did not reflect my views; they were an expression of confusion and shock about the election results.
Helmuth, despite evidence to the contrary, insisted she has the temperament necessary to separate her personal opinions from her professional duties. She said, “I am dedicated to civil communication and objectivity in editorial work.”
Scientific American, however, has not stayed away from political issues under her leadership. Helmuth was appointed editor-in-chief of Scientific American in 2020. The publication broke with a nearly two-hundred-year tradition and endorsed Joe Biden as president.
The outlet also endorsed Kamala for President in 2024.
Scientific American seems to have embraced junk science in particular when it comes to gender. In April, the magazine republished a fake interview where a woman posed as a man and accused those who disagree with gender ideology of spreading “misinformation” or committing “epistemological abuse”.
The publication also ruled out the possibility of wealthy elites benefiting from the pandemic. It stressed that the COVID-19 vaccination was safe and called the lab leak theory about COVID-19 a “false.” Scientific Americans wasted time and money writing articles that claimed math, the NFL, and obesity were racist.
Helmuth indicated in a post that other employees at the outlet had similar difficulties accepting the results. He allegedly posted, “Any advice about what workplaces could do to help those who are devastated by this election?” Thank you.”
Helmuth, despite an obvious leftward shift at the outlet in her statement on Friday, claimed that her insults directed towards Trump supporters did not “of course” reflect the position of Scientific American or her colleagues.
Scientific American has not responded to our request for comment.