The Sydney Morning Herald‘s editor-in-chief has announced the suspension of columnist Paul Sheehan over his now-notorious front page piece about an alleged gang rape in Sydney.
The column, published February 22 and later retracted by the Herald, detailed a first-hand account of the brutal gang rape of a woman called ‘Louise’ by a group of Middle Eastern men in Sydney.
The story went on to impugn the NSW police force and hospital system for failing ‘Louise’, but the credibility of Sheehan’s source was later called into question, and the story slowly began to unravel.
The Herald revealed that no basic fact-checking was done into the source or her claims, and even the merry racists at Reclaim Australia came forward to say that they have associated with ‘Louise’ and don’t believe her stories.
After an investigation into the column, the Herald’s editor-in-chief Darren Goodsir has published a statement saying that Sheehan will be relieved of his duties for now:
“I have concluded a formal review into the column “The horrifying untold story of Louise”, published on Monday, February 22. The article has since been retracted and, on behalf of the Herald, I once again unreservedly apologise for the column and the hurt and distress it understandably caused.
The formal review, which included a comprehensive examination of editorial processes, found unacceptable breaches of fundamental journalistic practice. The columnist, who has also apologised for the report and admitted this serious lapse, will stand aside from his duties until further notice.
The Herald’s reputation is founded on the trust our readers give us to provide fair, balanced and independent journalism, and it is critical that the editorial integrity of the Herald is maintained.”
Saying that Sheehan will ‘stand aside from his duties until further notice’ is not the same as saying that Sheehan will never write for the Herald again, so the meaning of this suspension is somewhat unclear.
Goodsir has yet to clarify whether the door is open for Sheehan to return, and the columnist himself has not yet commented.
Source: Fairfax.
Photo: Mark Kolbe / Getty.
