I’m very sad to learn that Brittney Gilbert has tendered her resignation today.

And there you have it, the reason I turned in my resignation this morning. I do not want to be seen as a victim here, I only want to honestly tell you why I will no longer be authoring [Nashville Is Talking]. Your host is simply not cut from strong enough cloth. This is the internet. People are vicious. They are even more vicious when they fail to make any distinction between you and a feelingless, faceless media company. It’s easier to justify the venom that way. And while some people may get off on feeding those frenzies of hate, I do not. I tried to not let it affect me but it does. Every day. The tears and the stress are just not worth it.

I’ve been thinking about this decision for a long, long time, so don’t go thinking that anyone in particular won here. Nobody specifically pushed me out. This decision is the culmination of lots of long hours of pondering, checking myself, and wondering if I’ve got what it takes. I decided I don’t.

I cannot adequately express how much I’ve learned and loved and been inspired by the bloggers featured here at NIT. Much of what you gave me–in terms of support, laughter and wisdom–is invaluable. I am a better person for having taken on this job, and I’ll be forever grateful. It’s jut time for me to move on.

I mentioned to a coworker yesterday that, in the wake of changes at WKRN-TV over the past few weeks, I thought that Brittney might be ready to move on. I based that largely on the following words from a post at the end of April, but I didn’t think it would happen today or with any immediacy: “I feel like crying. WKRN’s GM is leaving … Time to start working on my resume.”

I did not base my words on the controversy that erupted yesterday after what was admittedly probably a poor decision to link to some hate-filled comments elsewhere. I think Brittney has done a commendable job in a tough environment, and her efforts and WKRN’s site have made Nashville’s blogging community a better place to type. She will be sorely missed.