Montclair is mourning the loss of Eric Boehlert, author and founder of PressRun. Boehlert, who was a media critic for Media Matters and wrote for Salon and Rolling Stone, was killed in bike accident. He was 56.

Soledad O’Brien, in a four-part tweet, shares learning the news from Boehlert’s wife Tracy Breslin and called Boehlert “a fierce and fearless defender of the truth.”

“Sadly, today I join Secretary Hillary Clinton and other leaders in expressing sorrow and regret for the loss of my constituent and Montclair resident, Eric Bohelert who died earlier this week after being struck by a train while on his bicycle,” said Councilor at Large Peter Yacobellis. “Eric’s work, defending truth and defeating bias, has never been as important as it is today in this era of relentless misinformation. My heart breaks knowing how devastating a loss this is for Eric’s family and friends and the entire Township of Montclair. But also the loss this is for America and protecting the integrity of the first amendment. His death remains under investigation by the NJ Transit Police and I look forward to seeing the results of the investigation when they are made public, to see if there is something to learn, something to do to perhaps prevent another tragedy like this from happening in the future. I’m certain I speak for the people of this town in sending light and love to Eric’s friends and family in this very difficult time.“

3 replies on “Remembering Montclair’s Eric Boehlert, Media Critic and Founder of Press Run”

  1. He was a good journalist, Montclair’s own and a fighter for the left. We should be proud, he fought valiantly against the lies of Fox and the republicns. What a terrible time to lose him.

  2. It’s a terrible event. Perhaps the city government could publicize this senseless accident to let people know just how dangerous these trains can be. One life to a senseless accident like riding a bike onto train tracks at night on a dark stretch of road is one too many.
    I didn’t know Mr. Boehlert but I knew his work. Mr. Yacobellis (city government, quoted above) eloquently laments the loss of his voice in our politics and calls him a fighter in this era of relentless misinformation. How true. He was great at Rolling Stone and Salon, and I think superb at Crooks & Liars. To be remembered in mourning by Mrs. Clinton speaks volumes about his achievements. Most recently, he fought the Hunter Biden laptop revelations of recent days and even stood up against the Times and Post for their craven collapse in the face of right-wing lies. Everyone knows the Hunter Biden laptop is a farce and even Joe Biden himself said it was, but as far as I can tell only Mr. Boehlert had the courage to tell the truth.
    Godspeed, Mr. Boehlert.

  3. Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a profile of Mr. Boehlert. The columnist said Fox News was Eric’s bete noire. More than anything else, that was the one thing that stood out to me, so because I did not know the man I sort of resent that columnist. In all due respects, at a time of such loss, something like that is the last thing I’d want to be memorialized for.

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