Once it’s out, there is no way to put the toothpaste back in the tube. The power of rumours and accusations, even from anonymous sources, seems to have reached new heights over the last few months, as legitimate, appalling stories of sexual harassment mix with stories of poor judgement and misguided advances with equal and dramatic consequences. It would seem that you don’t have to misbehave to have your reputation ruined, and stories of exoneration rarely get the same exposure as those of the original accusation. Certainly victims need a safe place to voice their concerns and deserve to be heard, but the accused also deserve to respond to accusations made against them. We should be cautious to rush to judgement or we risk discouraging reasonable, well-meaning public servants only to be left with candidates like Doug Ford who, if he’s anything like his late brother, will be happy to misbehave publicly. KG
