News

Senator’s Op-Ed On Protecting Women’s Sports Removed By USA Today Due To ‘Loaded Language’

   DailyWire.com
WASHINGTON - MAY 2: Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., questions Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg during the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies hearing on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 for the Department of Transportation in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Thursday, May 2, 2024.
Credit: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images.

A Republican senator’s opinion column about keeping biological males out of women’s sports was removed from USA Today’s network of newspapers because of his “loaded language.”

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) learned that a column he wrote about protecting women’s sports had been removed from several USA Today Network newspapers because of “inflammatory” language out of the paper’s editorial standards, Fox News reported Friday. Kennedy told the outlet that he was not aware that the column had been removed until he was informed of broken links to the article.

Kennedy told Fox that the “USA TODAY Network apparently does not like the way I express myself.”

“They think they are the speech police. Drunk on certainty and virtue, they think they are our moral teacher. This attitude is why so many Americans have lost confidence in the media. The media is not going to win that trust back until they return to neutrality instead of advocacy,” he added.

The article, titled “Is transgender inclusion more important than women’s sports?” had been published on May 11 by several Louisiana-based papers owned by Gannett, the parent company of USA Today.

“Men and women don’t compete for the same reasons,” the Republican senator said in his column. “Yet transgender activists want athletic institutions to ignore these obvious physical differences so transgender athletes can feel included, even if it hurts biological girls in the process.”

Gannett Opinion Editor and Vice President of Standards and Ethics Michael McCarter said that Kennedy’s column did not meet the company’s “ethical standard” and that he had been given a chance to “revise his language.”

“We recognize the importance of sharing varying perspectives and the vital role we play convening conversations,” McCarter said. “Sen. John Kennedy’s submitted opinion column did not meet our ethical guidelines, which state we will treat people with respect. After further review, our editorial team removed the column from our website. Sen. Kennedy has been given the opportunity to revise his language – not his viewpoint – to adhere with our standards.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP

According to emails with the executive editor of the Shreveport Times, a USA Today Network newspaper, Kennedy’s use of the terms “biological male,” and “biological female,” were “loaded terms” outside of the outlet’s editorial standards. The outlet also took issue with Kennedy saying that men competing against women in sports was similar to NBA star Zion Williamson playing against middle school boys.

Create a free account to join the conversation!

Already have an account?

Log in

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip
Download Daily Wire Plus

Don't miss anything

Download our App

Stay up-to-date on the latest
news, podcasts, and more.

Download on the app storeGet it on Google Play
The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  Senator’s Op-Ed On Protecting Women’s Sports Removed By USA Today Due To ‘Loaded Language’