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Jul 11, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Florida newspaper says it "erred" in publishing pro-Proud Boys column

Erin Doherty
A Proud Boy flag flies in front of the Oregon state capitol during a protest in support of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 8, 2022.

A Proud Boy flag flies in front of the Oregon state capitol on January 8. Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images

The editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said Monday that her staff "erred" in publishing a guest column, titled "Attacking Proud Boys does disservice to caring parents," adding that the column "did not meet our standards."

Driving the news: "We strive to provide a broad range of views from our community, including opinions in opposition to those of our editorial board," executive editor Jennifer Orsi wrote Monday.

  • "However, the Herald-Tribune opinion page will not provide a forum for support of the Proud Boys, an extremist group that promotes white nationalist views, has been labeled a terrorist group by two countries and has top members under indictment on charges of seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack."

The big picture: The guest column in question was published in response to a column from last month that criticized the local school board for suspected ties to the Proud Boys.

  • "We will continue to publish varied opinions from across the political spectrum on important local issues. But this decision fell short of our standards, and we apologize to our readers," Orsi wrote.
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