many journalists and readers of the "herald" disagreed with the decision to fire rather than suspend defede, arguing that it had been made in haste and that the punishment was disproportionate to the offense. 528 journalists, including about 200 current and former "herald" staffers, called on the "herald" to reinstate defede, but the paper's management refused to back down. the state attorney's office later declined to file charges against the columnist, holding that the potential violation was "without a (living) victim or a complainant".