The New York Times faced backlash after its opinion section tweeted “offensive” comments Saturday while promoting a piece about allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The now-deleted tweet described a sexual act Kavanaugh allegedly did while he was a student at Yale University. The accompanying article by NYT reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly described the allegations against Kavanaugh.
“We deleted a previous tweet regarding this article. It was offensive, and we apologize,” New York Times Opinion tweeted Saturday.
We deleted a previous tweet regarding this article. It was offensive, and we apologize. https://t.co/gbUdweKbDg
— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) September 15, 2019
“Having a penis thrust in your face at a drunken dorm party may seem like harmless fun,” the deleted tweet said. “But when Brett Kavanaugh did it to her, Deborah Ramirez says, it confirmed that she didn’t belong at Yale in the first place.”
Many hit back at the news outlet on social media. (RELATED: New Book On Kavanaugh’s Confirmation Has Incendiary Allegations About Christine Blasey Ford)
If you haven’t already, you should unsubscribe from the NYT. Do not give people like this your money. pic.twitter.com/zdKhzTB8Zx
— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) September 14, 2019
“Shooting someone in the fucking face may seem like harmless fun but can lead to serious medical consequences — NYT, probably,” Charlotte Clymer, press secretary at the Human Rights Campaign, tweeted. “Just so done with this nonsense. Jesus.”
Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice, wrote the tweet was “very bad,” adding that “the editors’ framing of the piece as being about the culture on the Yale campus” was equally poor. The Saturday article, titled “Brett Kavanaugh Fit In With The Privileged Kids. She Did Not,” is adapted from an upcoming book the two NYT reporters wrote.
“This is … such a profound lapse in judgment and common sense,” writer Roxane Gay tweeted.
This is…. such a profound lapse in judgment and common sense. Sexual assault isn’t harmless fun. What the hell is going on at the NYT? pic.twitter.com/0XBtzGup4Y
— roxane gay (@rgay) September 14, 2019
I genuinely thought the “IDW” “bed bug” episodes were the worst things that could have come out of NYT opinion but now they‘ve called sexual assault & rape “harmless fun” & I’m afraid to ask how much worse can they get.???? pic.twitter.com/ly5l0ncGUs
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) September 15, 2019
President Donald Trump chimed in as well.
“Brett Kavanaugh should start suing people for libel, or the Justice Department should come to his rescue,” Trump tweeted Sunday morning. “The lies being told about him are unbelievable. False Accusations without recrimination. When does it stop? They are trying to influence his opinions. Can’t let that happen!”
NYT Opinion posted a follow-up that called the “harmless fun” tweet “poorly phrased.” It deleted this as well before apologizing in a third tweet.
Kavanaugh, who Trump nominated, has denied the allegations. He took office in October 2018.
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