An Irish journalist accused of sexism and anti-Semitism apologized Tuesday for a column that got him fired, saying, "I am the author of my own misfortunes." Kevin Myers was fired by The Sunday Times of London over a column titled, "Sorry, ladies -- equal pay has to be earned," after the piece sparked widespread accusations of anti-Semitism and misogyny. Commenting on a campaign by female BBC workers for equal pay, Myers wrote, "I note that two of the best-paid women presenters in the BBC -- Claudia Winkelman and Vanessa Feltz, with whose, no doubt, sterling work I am tragically unacquainted -- are Jewish. Good for them. Jews are not generally noted for their insistence on selling their talent for the lowest possible price." Elsewhere he wrote, "Only one woman is among the top 10 best-paid BBC presenters. Now, why is this? Is it because men are more charismatic performers? Because they work harder? Because they are more driven? Possibly a bit of each. The human resources department ... will probably tell you that men usually work harder, get sick less frequently and seldom get pregnant." The article was widely condemned on social media, prompting Sunday Times editor Martin Ivens to issue an apology. "The comments in a column by Kevin Myers in today's Irish edition of The Sunday Times were unacceptable and should not have been published. It has been taken down and we sincerely apologize both for the remarks and the error of judgment that led to publication," he tweeted. Frank Fitzgibbon, the editor of the paper's Irish edition, said he takes "full responsibility for this error of judgment. This newspaper abhors anti-Semitism and did not intend to cause offense to Jewish people." Speaking with RTE Radio 1 in Dublin on Tuesday, Myers apologized for the column. "I am the author of that article, I am the author of my own misfortunes, I am the master of my soul. I must answer for what I have done," he said. He stressed he was "a great admirer of the Jewish people. ... They are the most gifted people who have ever existed on this planet." Insisting he is "not misogynistic," Myers apologized to Winkleman and Feltz, saying, "I am very, very sorry to them, I really mean it, I'm not rescuing anything as far as I can see, it's over for me. I am issuing an apology for no other reason than the contrition of the hurt I have caused them. ... I'm not misogynistic, I'm a critic of political feminism but I'm not misogynistic. [Misogyny] is a simple way of labeling someone who means you don't have to listen to what they have to say." Feltz had described the column as "horrifying racism," telling BBC Radio London, that she "couldn't believe such a thing had been printed. It is absolutely gratuitous, not cleverly done, it's blatant racism. When you see it like that it's very horrifying. The editor personally rung me to apologize. He said he was horrified." Asked whether he believed his dismissal was justified, Myers said, "I think so, because of the impossible situation they [the editors] were placed in. The manner in which I was disposed of was wrong. It could have been done more gently and I think I could've been treated better."
