Metro not amused by humor columnist

New York Magazine reports that Metro International has fired humor columnist Elliott Kalan, who is also a segment producer at "The Daily Show," for writing a column headlined “Newspapers: Information’s Horse & Buggy." Kalan wrote:

“Nobody reads newspapers anymore … As this very copy of Metro shows, the only way to get most people to read a newspaper is to literally force it into their hands.”

The magazine quotes an unnamed Metro staffer as saying Kalan’s column was read by Chris Spalding, the interim CEO of Metro International (which was founded in Stockholm), who was in New York on business.

“Our New York publisher, Daniel Magnus, said that the CEO told him we had to fire Elliott immediately,” says the staffer.

Kalan told the magazine that he doesn't really know why he was canned. "My assumption is that the wrong person saw it and didn’t get the joke. They’re very straightforward people, the Swedes,” said Kalan. Metro didn’t return the magazine's calls for comment.