Calgary newspaper columnist’s take on Kavanaugh nomination triggers backlash
CALGARY — A Calgary Herald newspaper column on sexual misconduct accusations against U.S. Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh has prompted two women on Calgary city council to shun interview requests from the paper.
In her Wednesday column headlined “Kavanaugh doesn’t deserve this. What happened in high school stays in high school,” Naomi Lakritz wrote that the #MeToo movement has created the equivalent of a Salem witch trial for Kavanaugh.
The column triggered a backlash on social media, including Twitter announcements from councillors Jyoti Gondek and Druh Farrell that they would not accept interview requests from the paper until the editorial was retracted and an apology issued.
In a statement to CTV Calgary, Herald editor-in-chief Lorne Motley says freedom of speech is important and the columnist’s role at a newspaper is to express an opinion.