California news anchor resigns after defending Kavanaugh from sexual assault allegations

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Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Friday she will vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, all but ensuring the Senate will elevate the conservative jurist to the nation’s highest court. (Oct. 5)
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Kris Long, a veteran Coachella Valley news anchor for CBS Local 2, has resigned after penning a 400-word Facebook post defending Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh from an accusation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted an acquaintance while in high school.

Long’s public post ignited debate on Facebook over Kavanaugh’s confirmation, the assault claim and journalistic ethics. Long has been off the air since the Sept. 17 evening newscast.

In a written statement on Oct. 5, Gulf California Broadcast Company General Manager Jerry Upham wrote that the Palm Springs CBS affiliate had accepted Long’s resignation “effective immediately.”

“Kris Long has been an integral part of this company’s news organization and we’d like to thank him for his many years of service,” Upham wrote.

Long also commented in the same written statement.

“I want to thank those who have offered support and apologize again for any I may have offended,” Long said. “ I hope to return to the news business in the future.”

More: A Facebook post defending Brett Kavanaugh got this local news anchor thrown off the air for a week

More: Local TV news anchor off the air since defending Kavanaugh against assault claim in Facebook post

In September, Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor, went public with an accusation that Kavanaugh assaulted her at a high school party. Both Kavanaugh and Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September. Following the emotional hearing, the FBI concluded an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against the nominee. As of Friday afternoon, Kavanaugh was set for a vote confirming him to the Supreme Court as early as Saturday.

USA TODAY: ‘Very, very difficult vote’: The wavering senators who decided whether Brett Kavanaugh joins the Supreme Court

In an earlier interview with The Desert Sun, Long said he stood by his initial Facebook post, but would further emphasize that he condemns rape. He also said he understood why some victims of sexual assault opt not to report the crime immediately.

“I wish I hadn’t a written (the post) because it’s caused me a lot of headache,” he said.

In Long’s Facebook post, he wrote that “few things are more serious than rape,” but said the timing of Ford’s claim “stinks of political maneuvering.”

If he were nominated for the Supreme Court, Long added, “they might have to enlarge the Senate hearing room to accommodate all the young women from the mid to late 1960’s who felt that I had tried to go a bit too far!”

Long later deleted the post and replaced it with an apology.

The Society For Professional Journalists, the nation’s oldest and largest professional journalism association, calls on journalists to eschew activities that “may compromise integrity or impartiality, or may damage credibility.” Other journalism associations and news organizations have adopted guidance on how to use social media specifically.

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But recently, some journalists have challenged traditional ideas of objectivity, saying journalists should be transparent about their opinions rather than seek some illusory standard of impartiality.

Long’s post drew more than 160 comments in the hours after Long published. Readers have continued to comment even since he has taken down the post.

Some readers reproached CBS Local 2 for taking Long off the air in September. But others said they had lost respect for Long and called for him to retire.

In its October statement, the Gulf California Broadcast Company noted Long’s reporting history and past awards, including a local Emmy for his coverage of the Salton Sea.

Upham, the General Manager, commented in a written statement that Long “has a following and we know he will be missed by many in the area. On behalf of Kris’s colleagues here at CBS Local 2 and the Gulf California Broadcast company, we wish him the very best.”

Amy DiPierro covers business and real estate at The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. Reach her at amy.dipierro@desertsun.com or 760-218-2359.

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