Newsweek apologizes for op-ed that questioned Kamala Harris' citizenship

Magazine’s opinion editor and editor-in-chief ended note by saying op-ed would remain on the site

Guardian staff and agencies
Sat 15 Aug 2020 21.46 BST
Last modified on Sat 15 Aug 2020 21.54 BST

Newsweek has apologized for an op-ed that questioned the California senator Kamala Harris’ American citizenship and her eligibility to be Joe Biden’s running mate, a false and racist conspiracy theory which Donald Trump has not dismissed.

“This op-ed is being used by some as a tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia. We apologize,” read Newsweek’s editor’s note on Friday, which replaced the magazine’s earlier detailed defense of the op-ed.

“We entirely failed to anticipate the ways in which the essay would be interpreted, distorted and weaponized,” read the apology, signed by Josh Hammer, opinion editor, and Nancy Cooper, global editor-in-chief.

But the pair ended the note by saying that the op-ed would remain on the site, with their note attached.

The op-ed was written by John Eastman, a conservative attorney who argues that the US constitution doesn’t grant birthright citizenship. Eastman attempted to sow doubt about Harris’ eligibility based on her parents’ immigration status. Harris’ mother was born in India and her father was born in Jamaica.

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