Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has received a published apology from The Sun regarding Jeremy Clarkson's offensive column.
The UK newspaper printed a front-page message on Saturday, apologizing six month after pulling a December 2022 article which used misogynist imagery referring to the duchess. The apology came a day after UK media regulator The Independent Press Standards Organisation (ISPO) ruled that Clarkson's piece was sexist in tone, in a historic decision.
"The imagery employed by the columnist in this article was humiliating and degrading toward the duchess," said ISPO chairman Edward Faulks, per Associated Press. "IPSO’s purpose is to protect the public and freedom of expression by upholding high editorial standards. In this case, The Sun failed to meet these standards."
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As for yesterday's apology, The Sun admitted in a statement that "with free expression comes responsibility," adding that it has a "proud history of campaigning for women," per Deadline.
IPSO received over 25,000 complaints about Clarkson's article, in which he wrote about hating Meghan on a "cellular level" and dreamed of her being paraded naked in the street while crowds berate and "throw lumps of excrement at her." Despite the ruling on sexism, the watchdog rejected complaints that the article was racist in tone, inaccurate or sought to harass the duchess.
Clarkson previously made a public apology after the column was pulled from The Sun shortly after publishing, claiming in January 2023 that he had privately emailed both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to apologize. However, a spokesperson for the couple told BAZAAR.com at the time that the British TV personality only reached out to Prince Harry.
In a statement released by Archewell, the couple also criticized Clarkson for failing to address his long-standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories, and misogyny."
Quinci LeGardye is an LA-based freelance writer who covers culture, politics, and mental health through a Black feminist lens. When she isn’t writing or checking Twitter, she’s probably watching the latest K-drama or giving a concert performance in her car.
