Saturday, May 17, 2014

Jill Abramson Withdraws from Brandeis Commencement

Last month, when Brandeis University withdrew the honorary degree that it had planned to bestow on Ayaan Hirsi Ali, I recommended in a post that the Executive Editor of the New York Times, Jill Abramson should reject the honorary doctorate that the university was planning to give her at its commencement.

Yesterday, Abramson did just that. Of course, she is no longer with the Times. She seemed to suggest that her current circumstances did not make it a very good time to go up to Brandeis.

And yet, she is still scheduled to give the commencement address at Wake Forest University this Monday.

You might prefer to see Abramson make a clearer statement repudiating the actions that Brandeis took in relation to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, but she did the right thing. For those who care to think a little, the implication of her gesture is evident.

Naturally, I am happy that she saw the wisdom in my advice.

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