Joy Reid ‘Sincerely’ Apologizes For Old Blog Posts, Doesn’t Address Past Hacking Claims

In the midst of renewed scrutiny over her old blog and additional embarrassing post resurfacing, MSNBC weekend host Joy Reid issued a statement in which she said she “was sincerely apologizing again” over the controversy. She specifically addressed the posts that featured a photoshopped image of John McCain as the Virginia Tech shooter and her encouraging her blog readers to check out a 9/11 conspiracy video.

Below is Reid’s statement in full:

“While I published my blog, starting in 2005, I wrote thousands of posts in real time on the issues of the day. There are things I deeply regret and am embarrassed by, things I would have said differently and issues where my position has changed. Today I’m sincerely apologizing again.

I’m sorry for the collateral damage and pain this is causing individuals and communities caught in the crossfire.

To be clear, I have the highest respect for Sen. McCain as a public servant and patriot and wish him and his family the best. I have reached out to Meghan McCain and will continue to do so. She is a former on-air colleague and I feel deeply for her and her family.

I’ve also spoken openly about my evolution on many issues and know that I’m a better person today than I was over a decade ago. I am the daughter of immigrants and have worked to be a strong ally of these communities. There is no question in my mind that Al Qaeda perpetrated the 9/11 attacks or about Israel’s right to its sovereignty.

I believe the totality of my work attests to my ideals and I continue to grow every day.”

Critics and media observers will no doubt point out that nowhere in her statement does she address the claims she made back in April that recently unearthed homophobic posts were the result of fabrication and hacking. Days after making those claims, Reid took to the air and said she honestly doesn’t believe that she wrote those posts but she has been unable to prove otherwise.

This is the first time Reid has addressed the controversy since that on-air statement. MSNBC also released a statement on Reid’s blog posts:

“Some of the things written by Joy on her old blog are obviously hateful and hurtful. They are not reflective of the colleague and friend we have known at MSNBC for the past seven years. Joy has apologized publicly and privately and said she has grown and evolved in the many years since, and we know this to be true.”

It would appear that the network continues to stand by Reid.