April 30, 2019
NEWS RELEASE
Newspaper apologizes to Edmonton Griesbach Conservative MP
A libel lawsuit brought against the University of Alberta student publication The Gateway by Edmonton Griesbach Member of Parliament Kerry Diotte has been settled.
The settlement came after the newspaper agreed to publish a full retraction and apology for publishing two articles that referred to Diotte as “a racist.”
“I’m glad that my lawyer and theirs could come to a mutually agreeable solution without a protracted court fight,” said Diotte, a former journalist and an ex-national director of the Canadian Association of Journalists.
“I’m a strong believer in free speech but it’s important to remember there are legal lines that can’t be crossed,” he said.
“Those legal lines against libel apply whether you’re a mainstream journalist, a blogger or a commentator on Twitter.”
The Member of Parliament, elected in 2015, says he now considers the issue resolved and does not intend to make further public comments on it.
Below is the text of The Gateway’s full retraction and apology:
Apology and retraction to Kerry Diotte, Member of Parliament
On November 3, 2018 and November 5, 2018, the University of Alberta Gateway newspaper published articles online about Edmonton-Griesbach Member of Parliament Kerry Diotte that described him as “a racist.”
That characterization of Mr. Diotte is false, damaging to his reputation, and caused Mr. Diotte and his family unwarranted embarrassment.
The Gateway sincerely and wholeheartedly apologizes to Mr. Diotte for this wrongful characterization and retracts the offending articles.
https://www.thegatewayonline.ca/2019/04/apology-and-retraction-to-kerry-diotte-member-of-parliament/