The editorial page editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch decided that the newspaper will no longer run George Will’s column in light of one of his most recent columns on sexual assault. Critics, including several lawmakers, accused Will of trivializing the issue.
Editor Tony Messenger explains that while the newspaper was considering dropping Will already, the reaction to his recent “offensive and inaccurate” column prompted him to make the decision. Messenger went on to apologize for publishing the column.
Among Will’s critics were four Democratic senators, who wrote him a letter objecting to the column. The Washington Post has stood by Will, and he has since responded in defense of his work.
Michael Gerson, another Washington Post columnist and George W. Bush’s former chief speechwriter from 2001 to 2006, will replace Will on Thursdays and Sundays at the Post-Dispatch. Messenger notes that Gerson is from St. Louis and his “roots” in the city “will better connect with our readers.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch currently has a circulation of approximately 167,000 daily subscribers, and 287,000 on Sundays.