Michael de Adder has taken to Twitter after his contract with Brunswick News papers in New Brunswick was cancelled

A local journalism professor says if Brunswick News (BNI) fired Michael de Adder for his cartoon featuring Donald Trump, it would hurt the company's reputation.

David Swick says he's surprised de Adder lasted as long as long as he did at Brunswick News.

Last week, de Adder's illustration depicting President Trump playing golf over the bodies of two drowned migrants went viral he was let go by BNI days later. De Adder said he still hasn't received an answer as to why and the company is denying it was due to the cartoon.

Swick teaches journalism at the University of King's College and he tells NEWS 95.7 Brunswick News is an organization that takes no chances when it comes to publishing controversial content.

"I was somewhat surprised that Mike lasted as long at Brunswick News as he did, obviously he's a talented guy, but like all cartoonists, cartoonists have a reputation in the news business, for being the kind of people who like to push the boundaries," explains Swick.

The company issued a statement this past weekend denying allegations that their decision stemmed from the image. Swick says it would reflect poorly on the company if that was their actual reasoning.

"That they would push him out for this, although they deny that's the case, but if it wasn't the case, it was outrageously unfortunate timing on their part, the fact that they might push him out for this, I think it speaks really badly for Brunswick News, and won't do their reputation any good," says Swick.

Swick adds it's not clear why de Adder was let go, but adds it's important for journalists to report even when the subject matter is controversial.

"Good journalists fight against the power even when they're your boss, and you don't always win, but you need to keep up the big fight and not resign yourself, or you've just become a puppet," says Swick.

Meantime, after their initial statement over the weekend denying speculation over why and how de Adder's contract was ended, BNI released yet another statement in an attempt to clarify the circumstances.

The Irving-owned company says it vehemently denies that the decision to cancel de Adder's freelance contract had anything to do with his recent cartoon of Trump and says it was never offered that particular cartoon. Brunswick News says the decision to replace de Adder had been made weeks ago.

The company is calling this "a reckless and careless spread of misinformation in an era of fake news" and claims the opinion pages remain a place for balanced debate, with a focus on local issues.