{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/media/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co","slug":"seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co","url":"https://mediabias.news/media/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co","title":"Seattle Times columnist Matt Calkins resigns over spiked transgender athletes column","subtitle":"Calkins said the paper refused to publish his piece on WNBA star Sophie Cunningham’s stance on women’s sports","excerpt":"Matt Calkins resigned from the Seattle Times on 20 August 2026 after the paper declined to publish his column on transgender athletes in women’s sports. Calkins said the decision followed interviews with student-athletes opposing transgender participation in female sports, and that the paper had rejected other proposed columns. The Seattle Times has not commented.","category":"Media","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-08-21T02:25:38.885Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-08-20T22:55:54.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-21T02:25:38.885Z","readTime":"5 min read","scores":{"trust":55,"critic":55,"hype":55,"notes":{"trust":"HuffPost report is the only full article; others are digests.","critic":"HuffPost quotes affected parties; others lack detail.","hype":"Several digests use loaded language not in HuffPost."}},"tags":["#TransgenderAthletes","#PressFreedom","#WNBA","#SeattleTimes","#SportsJournalism"],"entities":["Matt Calkins","Seattle Times","Sophie Cunningham","WNBA"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Matt Calkins resigned from the Seattle Times on 20 August 2026 after the paper refused to publish his column on transgender athletes in women’s sports.","Calkins said the column drew from interviews with student-athletes who oppose transgender girls competing in female sports, and that an editor told him six days after submission it would not run.","The Seattle Times has not commented on Calkins’ resignation or the spiked column. Calkins said the paper had declined to publish other proposed columns.","Sophie Cunningham, whose stance the column addressed, told ESPN she is ‘very much in the middle’ politically and denies hating transgender people."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Matt Calkins resigned from the Seattle Times on 20 August 2026 after 11 years as a sports columnist. He said the paper refused to publish a column he wrote on transgender athletes in women’s sports, which included interviews with two Washington student-athletes who oppose allowing transgender girls to compete in female sports. Calkins said an editor informed him six days after he submitted the draft that it would not run."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"In a post on his Substack, Calkins said the column argued that supporting the separation of biological males and females in sports does not make someone transphobic. He said the Seattle Times had also declined to publish other columns he proposed, which he described as challenging \"prevailing newsroom narratives\". Calkins said he resigned because he could no longer perform the job he was hired to do."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The Seattle Times has not commented on Calkins’ resignation or the spiked column. Sophie Cunningham, the WNBA player whose stance on transgender athletes the column addressed, told ESPN in July 2026 that she is \"very much in the middle\" politically and that she wants to \"protect young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men\"."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the centre-rated digests mentioned that Calkins said the Seattle Times had declined to publish other proposed columns. None of the right-rated digests mentioned that Cunningham told ESPN she is \"very much in the middle\" politically. The HuffPost report was the only one to quote Calkins’ statement that he resigned because he could no longer \"do my job properly\"."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"Heavy","url":"https://heavy.com/sports/wnba/sophie-cunningham-wnba-transgender","headline":"Sophie Cunningham Supporter Quits Job Amid WNBA/Transgender Controversy","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-21T01:40:30.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Western Journal","url":"https://westernjournal.com/newspaper-columnist-quits-editors-kill-story-teen-sophie-cunningham-fan-thanked-speaking-girls","headline":"Newspaper Columnist Quits After Editors Kill Story on a Teen Sophie Cunningham Fan Who Thanked Her for 'Speaking Up for Girls'","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-21T00:08:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"HuffPost","url":"https://huffpost.com/entry/seattle-times-writer-matt-calkins-sophie-cunningham-article_n_6a876965e4b0ca44601bd14f","headline":"Longtime Columnist Resigns Over Spiked Sophie Cunningham Article: ‘I’m Scared S**tless’","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T22:55:54.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Hill","url":"https://thehill.com/policy/sports-gaming/6042577-seattle-times-columnist-resigns-trans-athletes","headline":"Seattle Times sports columnist resigns over spiked trans athlete story","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T22:41:53.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Twitchy","url":"https://twitchy.com/brettt/2026/08/20/sports-columnist-resigns-after-paper-spikes-piece-featuring-girls-opposed-to-boys-in-their-sports-n2431500","headline":"Sports Columnist Resigns After Paper Spikes Piece Featuring Girls Opposed to Boys in Their Sports","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T22:00:59.000Z"},{"sourceName":"New York Post","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/08/20/sports/seattle-times-matt-calkins-quits-over-spiked-sophie-cunningham-column","headline":"Seattle Times writer quits over spiked Sophie Cunningham column","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T21:50:41.000Z"},{"sourceName":"nytimespost.com","url":"https://nytimespost.com/seattle-times-columnist-resigns-after-paper-allegedly-refused-to-run-save-womens-sports-column","headline":"Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper allegedly refused to run 'Save Women's Sports' column - NEW YORK TIMES POST","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T21:49:09.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Fox News","url":"https://foxnews.com/outkick-sports/seattle-times-columnist-resigns-paper-allegedly-refused-run-save-womens-sports-column","headline":"Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper allegedly refused to run 'Save Women's Sports' column","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T21:39:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Awful Announcing","url":"https://awfulannouncing.com/newspapers/seattle-times-columnist-transgender-athlete.html","headline":"Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper scrapped Sophie Cunningham piece","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T21:30:12.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Pro Football Network","url":"https://profootballnetwork.com/wnba/wnba-world-rips-seattle-times-columnist-resigns-sophie-cunningham-trans-column-scrapped","headline":"‘Horrendous Look’ – WNBA World Rips The Seattle Times As Columnist Resigns After Sophie Cunningham Trans Column Gets Scrapped","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T21:03:07.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Washington Times","url":"https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/20/seattle-times-sports-columnist-resigns-editors-spiked-column-men","headline":"Seattle Times sports columnist resigns after editors spiked column on men playing in women’s sports","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T20:59:17.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Comeback","url":"https://thecomeback.com/wnba/matt-calkins-quits-seattle-times-sophie-cunningham-transgender.html","headline":"'I’m done holding back': Columnist quits major newspaper over Sophie Cunningham piece","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T20:36:22.000Z"},{"sourceName":"NewsBusters","url":"https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/08/20/sports-columnist-resigns-when-publication-spikes-his-piece","headline":"Sports Columnist Resigns When Seattle Times Spikes His Piece Supporting Female Athletes","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T20:21:02.835Z"},{"sourceName":"ussanews.com","url":"https://ussanews.com/2026/08/20/seattle-times-columnist-resigns-after-paper-spikes-column-arguing-cunninghams-stance-isnt-transphobic","headline":"Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper spikes column arguing Cunningham’s stance isn’t transphobic","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T19:15:43.473Z"},{"sourceName":"The Big Lead","url":"https://thebiglead.com/matt-calkins-seattle-resigns-sophie-cunningham-column","headline":"Columnist resigns after editor spikes column on Sophie Cunningham fans","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T18:13:04.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":8,"centre":30,"right":62},"count":{"left":1,"centre":4,"right":8},"totalSources":15,"untracked":2,"rated":13,"observedAt":"2026-08-21T03:30:23.379853+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-08-21T03:45:29.337Z","closedAt":null,"checks":6,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["The HuffPost report led on Calkins’ claim that the Seattle Times spiked his column because it broached the subject of transgender athletes in women’s sports. It quoted Calkins’ Substack post, where he said the column drew from interviews at a rally supporting Sophie Cunningham, and that an editor told him the piece would not run because he had not informed the paper in advance. HuffPost also quoted Calkins’ statement that he resigned because he could no longer \"do my job properly\".","HuffPost included Cunningham’s comment to ESPN that she is \"very much in the middle\" politically and that she had received \"negative feedback about me hating trans\". The report described Calkins’ column as arguing that \"supporting the separation of biological females and males doesn’t automatically make you transphobic\". It also noted that the Seattle Times declined to comment on personnel matters."],"centre":["The three centre-rated digests all reported that Calkins resigned after the Seattle Times refused to publish his column on transgender athletes in women’s sports. The Hill and Awful Announcing digests mentioned that the column supported Sophie Cunningham’s stance. Awful Announcing noted that Calkins said the resignation was his decision after the paper declined to publish several of his columns. The Comeback digest described the spiked column as part of a broader conversation stemming from Cunningham’s comments."],"right":["The seven right-rated digests all led on Calkins’ resignation and the Seattle Times’ decision to spike his column. Twitchy, the New York Post, the Washington Times, NewsBusters, and ussanews.com digests described the column as opposing transgender girls competing in female sports. The Washington Times digest said the column posited that those who oppose biological men playing in women’s sports are not transphobic.","Fox News and nytimespost.com digests said the column centred on two Washington student-athletes who oppose allowing transgender girls to compete in female sports. NewsBusters quoted Calkins’ social media post, where he said the spiked column was written from the perspective of female student-athletes opposed to transgender participation in their sports. None of the right-rated digests mentioned Cunningham’s comment to ESPN that she is politically moderate."],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"left","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"low":4,"mixed":4,"high":3,"unknown":3,"veryHigh":1},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":6,"independent":3,"corporation":1},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"The Big Lead","url":"https://thebiglead.com/matt-calkins-seattle-resigns-sophie-cunningham-column","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T18:13:04.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":3},{"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","count":2},{"country":"Herndon, Fairfax County, Virginia, United States","count":1},{"country":"Bristol, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States","count":1},{"country":"United States","count":1},{"country":"Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States","count":1},{"country":"Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, United States","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"The Big Lead","url":"https://thebiglead.com/matt-calkins-seattle-resigns-sophie-cunningham-column","headline":"Columnist resigns after editor spikes column on Sophie Cunningham fans","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T18:13:04.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"ussanews.com","url":"https://ussanews.com/2026/08/20/seattle-times-columnist-resigns-after-paper-spikes-column-arguing-cunninghams-stance-isnt-transphobic","headline":"Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper spikes column arguing Cunningham’s stance isn’t transphobic","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T19:15:43.473Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"farRight","factualityRating":"low","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"NewsBusters","url":"https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/08/20/sports-columnist-resigns-when-publication-spikes-his-piece","headline":"Sports Columnist Resigns When Seattle Times Spikes His Piece Supporting Female Athletes","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T20:21:02.835Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"right","factualityRating":"low","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Herndon, Fairfax County, Virginia, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The Comeback","url":"https://thecomeback.com/wnba/matt-calkins-quits-seattle-times-sophie-cunningham-transgender.html","headline":"'I’m done holding back': Columnist quits major newspaper over Sophie Cunningham piece","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T20:36:22.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Washington Times","url":"https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/20/seattle-times-sports-columnist-resigns-editors-spiked-column-men","headline":"Seattle Times sports columnist resigns after editors spiked column on men playing in women’s sports","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T20:59:17.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"leanRight","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Pro Football Network","url":"https://profootballnetwork.com/wnba/wnba-world-rips-seattle-times-columnist-resigns-sophie-cunningham-trans-column-scrapped","headline":"‘Horrendous Look’ – WNBA World Rips The Seattle Times As Columnist Resigns After Sophie Cunningham Trans Column Gets Scrapped","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T21:03:07.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Bristol, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Awful Announcing","url":"https://awfulannouncing.com/newspapers/seattle-times-columnist-transgender-athlete.html","headline":"Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper scrapped Sophie Cunningham piece","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T21:30:12.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Fox News","url":"https://foxnews.com/outkick-sports/seattle-times-columnist-resigns-paper-allegedly-refused-run-save-womens-sports-column","headline":"Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper allegedly refused to run 'Save Women's Sports' column","publishedAt":"2026-08-20T21:39:00.000Z","leaningSide":"right","leaningRating":"right","factualityRating":"mixed","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"nytimespost.com","url":"https://nytimespost.com/seattle-times-columnist-resigns-after-paper-allegedly-refused-to-run-save-womens-sports-column","headline":"Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper allegedly refused to run 'Save Women's Sports' column - 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It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Seattle Times columnist Matt Calkins resigns over spiked transgender athletes column\", https://mediabias.news/media/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/media/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/media/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/media/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}