Who Is Jeff Poor? Editor Under Fire After Alabama Pastor's Death

Jeff Poor, the editor-in-chief of Alabama outlet 1819 News, has been the subject of increasing social-media outrage, following the suicide of a pastor and mayor that his publication outed as a crossdresser.

Law enforcement said on Friday evening that F. L. "Bubba" Copeland, the mayor of Smiths Station and pastor at the First Baptist Church of Phenix City, on the state border with Columbus, Georgia, had taken his own life. It followed a slow pursuit by officers attending a welfare check.

Lee County Sheriff's Office made no connection between the publication of the article and Copeland's suicide, and Newsweek has not found evidence to suggest it was a factor in his death. We approached Poor and 1819 News via email for comment on Monday.

Two days prior, 1819 News had published a story noting how Copeland had created an alter-ego for himself as a transgender woman. He wore his wife's clothes in social-media posts, interacted with members of the LGBTQ+ community, and wrote erotic transgender fiction.

Copeland told the outlet in an interview ahead of the article's publication that the posts were a hobby and a fantasy he had done to relieve stress since his youth. He added that the persona was "a fictional character I made up to relieve stress" and the erotica was purely fiction. It also noted that he had deleted the accounts and asked that the information not be publicized.

Copeland told 1819 News that, prior to the story being made public, only his wife knew of his alter-ego. In a statement delivered at his church later the same day, he described the article as an attack and said that he had "nothing to be ashamed of." However, he apologized to the community for the embarrassment it had caused.

Following Copeland's suicide, many on social media criticized the news outlet for disclosing elements of his private life. Since then, some have turned their attention to Poor. He is also a talk-radio host at a local station and a decade-long member of the editorial staff at conservative national outlet Breitbart.

Brock Boone, a civil rights attorney in Alabama, described Poor on X, formerly Twitter, as "pure evil and the epitome of human rot" and accused him of "having a death on his record."

Larry Lynam, a microbiologist, asked Poor: "I truly wonder what made you so hateful? You need to go and do some serious soul searching. You also need to just go away. You serve no useful purpose. You only manufacture hate and division. You have real blood on your hands."

Poor has not commented publicly on the criticism. In a statement sent to another Alabama news outlet, AL.com, he said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Smiths Station, the parishioners of First Baptist Church of Phenix City and the victims and family of Mayor Copeland." This, too, provoked criticism on X for appearing to suggest Copeland's actions had victimized others.

Poor has since restricted access to his X account. An archived version shows that, on Saturday, he reposted a response to one user's comment on an 1819 News story reporting Copeland's death saying "you did this and I doubt you even care." Poor's reply read: "Imagine having to defend this tweet you just made. Zero chance you can."

Poor has been at 1819 News for nearly two years, per his LinkedIn profile, starting out as its political editor, before becoming an executive editor and later editor-in-chief. Prior to that, he worked at another Alabama outlet, Yellowhammer News, and is also a columnist for Lagniappe, a weekly newspaper covering Mobile.

Poor's profile also says he studied for separate bachelor's degrees at Auburn University and the University of South Alabama.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.

Correction 11/07/23 10:12 a.m. ET: The article was updated to clarify Brock Boone's role.