Paikin allegations are a tipping point

Re Bravo to TVO for not caving to #MeToo, DiManno, Feb. 6 I couldn’t agree more with Rosie’s article and the position of TVO.

My heart aches for any woman (or man) who has been sexually harassed. The lasting fear, self-loathing and misplaced guilt must be crippling.

However, we can’t be so caught up in the hysteria that we lose sight of the end result we all seek: for the truth to be known and the wrongdoers to be punished. If people are fired and/or resign before a full investigation is conducted, we all lose. People are losing their careers based on unproven allegations and, at times, without the accuser’s name being made public.

Yes, we must be ready to listen to the wronged and to expose and punish true perpetrators. However, we can’t be blind to the fact there are some malingerers out there who will use this time to get revenge for imagined hurts or other things that have nothing to do with sexual impropriety or sexual crimes.

The court of public opinion is often wrong. Let’s not jump on the bandwagon before all the facts are known. Rita Maio, Woodbridge For some time now, the #MeToo movement has trended with the assumption that the man must be guilty of wrongdoing. Sarah Thomson’s allegations against Steve Paikin are, in my opinion, the tipping point that finally removes the presumption of guilt from the alleged perpetrator.

We have all watched Paikin on TVO’s The Agenda for many years and he is clearly a man of character, integrity and intelligence — someone who is widely respected and admired by his audience and beyond. To TVO’s credit, he will remain host of The Agenda while he defends his name. Gene Balfour, Fenelon Falls, Ont. Full credit to TVO for the manner in which it is handling the accusation against Steve Paikin. A cultural reckoning is happening. That’s a good thing. But the destruction of lives without due process is troubling. There’s no point in speculating on whether the accusation against Paikin is real but, fortunately, he’s getting due process before the rug is pulled out from under him. I haven’t seen much of that over the past several months. Rob Cowan, Toronto