Salt Lake Tribune columnist Robert Kirby blames sensitive cultural climate for suspension

Before leaving The Salt Lake Tribune last year to serve a three-month suspension for inappropriate behavior, humorist Robert Kirby told readers he had “a lot of work to do in understanding the pain I have caused."

But shortly after returning from his suspension — a punishment that came after it was revealed that he asked a fellow writer to pretend she was from an escort service, gave her marijuana, and then publicly outed her for taking the drug — the veteran columnist characterized his suspension as having been handed down by The Tribune's leadership team "for making a politically incorrect comment."

This comment from Kirby was in response to an email inquiring about opportunities for journalists. Kirby unilaterally brought up the suspension and complained of "the ease by which some people become offended," adding "it's probably why you don't see many humor columnists in newspapers anymore."

The columnist’s words didn’t come as a surprise to Utah blogger Courtney Kendrick, the writer to whom Kirby made the sexually tinged comments and provided marijuana, in violation of state and federal laws, at a conference in July.

“I never thought he was going to change,” Kendrick said after reviewing the email. “Thankfully, that was never my end game.”

Kendrick said her intent was to warn others that Kirby is not a safe person. She said she hopes other women know to be cautious around him.

Tribune editor-in-chief Jennifer Napier-Pearce handed down the suspension in September in response to “multiple complaints” about Kirby’s conduct. The nature of those additional complaints has not been made public.

Napier-Pearce wrote in a letter to readers that Kirby seemed to have a “sincere commitment to change” when he was suspended. Kirby, in turn, said he was “profoundly sorry” for his actions.

In response to the recent email, Napier-Pearce declined to comment and referred to her previous public statement.

Several reporters and editors at the newspaper, including Tony Semerad, the reporter assigned to write The Tribune’s account of the allegations and suspension, also declined to comment on Kirby’s contention that the punishment was handed down because he had failed to be politically correct.

“Because the topic is a personnel matter here at The Tribune, I cannot talk about it,” Semerad said.

“The Tribune wants it to just go away,” Kirby wrote in his email, noting that one of the conditions for his return “is that I not discuss the incident.”

Indeed, his back-to-work column included no mention of his time away or any reflection on why he was suspended, but rather lamented the challenge of finding the right Christmas present for family members.

He followed up with a second email that listed “religious people,” “teenagers,” “scholars,” and “pet owners” as “the most easily offended groups in America.”

Kirby added that none of those groups is as easily offended as “political activists” who will treat their cause “as if it were every bit as sacred as a religion.” He additionally offered “to talk about the risk factors when it comes to humor in the media.”

Holly Mullen, a 30-year veteran journalist, past Tribune columnist, and the former executive director at Salt Lake City’s Rape Recovery Center, said she didn’t see any humor in Kirby's actions at Sunstone Symposium, where he met Kendrick, nor was she amused by his comments since his return.

“It didn’t look funny,” Mullen said. “It didn’t look humorous. It looked like he was ridiculing her.”

She agreed with The Tribune’s decision to suspend Kirby, even though she noted that she has long respected her former colleague and his work.

Mullen said she didn’t think the punishment had anything to do with political correctness.

“I don’t care if he thinks women are being too sensitive,” she said. “That time has come and gone.”

Mullen said that while harassment lies on a spectrum, it could stay with women for their entire lifetime — a contention echoed by journalism professor Thomas Terry, who lectures on media law and ethics at Utah State University.   

“I think as a humor columnist and a comedian you have to know where that line is,” Terry said. “That line had been crossed.”