• by Sara Guaglione , January 31, 2017

Publishers are openly responding to President Trump’s controversial executive order on immigration, expressing their concern or opposition to the barring and limiting of refugees and citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States.

Michael Bloomberg, former New York mayor and owner of news and information company Bloomberg L.P, told his employees in a company-wide email sent Monday that he is “strongly opposed” to the executive order.

“They run counter to the core values of our company, and, I believe, the values that have made the U.S. a beacon of freedom and an engine of global progress," he wrote.

According to the email, which was acquired by Politico’s Morning Media, Bloomberg added he is “deeply concerned about the impact of these policies, both on our company and on U.S. security. ... Given the questions this has raised for some of you, and the importance of global diversity to our company and its culture .... we will do everything possible to minimize any disruptions these policies may cause.”

BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti also sent an email to staff addressing the executive order, calling the U.S. a “nation of immigrants.”

“The President has decided to let fear drive our government policy,” Peretti wrote. “Our thoughts are with the victims of this recent executive order, our employees around the world, including Muslims and their families abroad, refugees and everyone whose lives may be turned upside down by this policy.”

The Chicago Tribune's editorial board led its post regarding President Trump's order with these strong words: "President Donald Trump wanted to prove his commitment to protecting America from terrorism. Instead, he illustrated the damage an inexperienced leader can inflict on innocent individuals by acting rashly to exert authority."

The newspaper's board called the order a “misstep” that President Trump “must fix fast." “He needs to overhaul his poorly conceived executive action,” they wrote.

The New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and CEO Mark Thompson wrote in a memo to employees yesterday: "This note is not about the editorial opinion or news reporting of The New York Times, but about our values and responsibilities as an employer.

"We are committed to diversity of talent, thought and ideas and the fair and equal treatment of all employees, whatever their background. We will do everything in our power to support and protect every one of our colleagues, regardless of their race, country of origin, and religion or belief system. The executive order is only likely to affect a very small minority of Times employees. We still take it very seriously. Our legal and human resources departments are addressing questions as they arise."

In a similar tone, chief people officer Mark Musgrave of Dow Jones, which owns The Wall Street Journal, kept the focus on how the order could potentially affect employees. "We are working closely with our immigration partners to provide advice and support to potentially impacted employees," he wrote in a memo.

Publishers are not the only companies taking a stance on the executive order.

Major advertising holding companies and tech companies have made their grievances known. Brands like Lyft and Airbnb have taken action in the form of “opposition branding.”