Whoopi Goldberg joins outraged celebs as Sydney Morning Herald 'outs' Rebel Wilson and Ramona Agruma
Whoopi Goldberg joined the chorus of voices expressing outrage against the Sydney Morning Herald over its reporting of Rebel Wilson's new relationship with fashion designer Ramona Agruma.
Columnist Andrew Hornery and Herald editor Bevan Shields apologized this week after they gave Wilson a two-day deadline to respond to plans to write about her new romance. Hornery initially complained about being "gazumped" by Wilson after she herself revealed on Friday, June 10, that Agruma was her new partner. Goldberg responded to the controversy on her show The View, blasting Hornery's apology after he said the Herald never intended to "out" the actress.
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“If it wasn’t your intention you wouldn’t have done it,” Goldberg said. “You knew exactly what you were doing … They say ‘Oh well people want to know’. I don’t care what people want to know, frankly. I want to keep my privacy. It should be my choice if I want to talk about something."
Shields accepted full responsibility for the SMH reportage in a "note to subscribers" Tuesday afternoon, June 14. He apologized for the delay in acknowledging that mistakes were made. “The Saturday piece should not have been published and that is ultimately on me as editor. For that, I apologize to Wilson and anyone offended by it,” the editor said. Shields also admitted that his earlier note "defending our approach" on Sunday, June 12, was another mistake. “As editor, I was conscious of supporting staff but I should have also acknowledged our mistakes, which is what I’m doing today,” he wrote. “The Herald is an inclusive masthead and ally of LGBTIQ+ readers and Australians. This episode was far from ideal, and while there was no malice involved, I recognize our mistakes and apologize for them.”
Hornery's column and the backlash it received were reported by major outlets including the New York Times, CNN, and the BBC. The Times noted how Wilson's supporters had argued that “the decision to come out and when to do so is a personal one." Hornery wrote in his initial weekend column that he had given the Australian star two days to respond on Thursday, June 9, and told her he had enough confirmation to publish a story. Wilson posted a picture of herself with Agruma on Instagram the following day, gushing about her new partner. "I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess 💗🌈💗#loveislove," she captioned the image.
The backlash against SMH resulted in Hornery's original column being pulled and replaced by his apology on Monday. The columnist admitted his mistakes and vowed to take a different approach in the future. Shields, who had originally published a note defending the paper's actions, conceded on Monday afternoon and apologized. He initially said in a message to staff that he agreed with Hornery in that it was ok to approach Wilson considering she had posted pictures of herself with Argruma on social media, but had expected to make a final decision about publishing it on Friday, depending on Wilson's response. Shields said it would be “impossible to publish” without such a response. “Mistakes were made in our approach to Wilson and I apologize for them,” he wrote, adding that he wouldn't have published a piece unless he received a nod from Wilson. “The inclusion of a deadline was an error as it appeared to be an ultimatum,” the editor added.
That said, Hornery has also faced a barrage of criticism and ridicule on social media, with many accusing him of outing the actress. The columnist told his loved ones to ignore the “pitchfork brigade” and the “toxic vitriol and nutters barking at shadows demanding to be heard." He wrote, “Friends and family, apologies for the incessant trolling on my feed these past few days the pitchfork brigade is baying for blood – can’t really be bothered deleting them all as it would take me days! Know that I’m OK and appreciate the support a few brave souls have dared to show.”