New Zealand Herald 
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High-profile Australian feminist writer Clementine Ford has apologised after a tweet she posted over the weekend sparked a furious backlash online.
"Honestly, the coronavirus isn't killing men fast enough," Ford wrote on Twitter on Saturday, quickly sparking outrage and condemnation from media personalities and the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, who called the comments "distasteful".
Ford posted the comments in response to an article from thelily.com, about women taking on extra work during the coronavirus pandemic, as they manage childcare, their households, and their own work. She has since deleted the posts.
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The comments caused anger online, with male commentators taking exception to the comment and Ford's name trending on Twitter throughout the weekend.
Ford was recently awarded an arts grant through the City of Melbourne as part of a programme to support artists through the pandemic, and many began calling for her to have her funding rescinded.
Among those who criticised Ford were former senator Derryn Hinch, and media personality Peter Ford.
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Ford stood firm on her comments on Saturday, responding to some of the backlash on Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday night the Herald Sun reported the Melbourne City Council arts grant awarded to Ford would be put under review. Lord Mayor Sally Capp criticised Ford's comments, calling them "deliberately divisive" at a time when she was trying to keep the community together through the Covid-19 crisis.
"I found these comments offensive and distasteful and I agree with the sentiment of outrage expressed by many members of our community," Capp said. She said she'd asked the council's chief executive officer to review the independent process that awarded Ford the grant.
On Sunday morning Ford apologised for the tweet in a lengthy thread, saying her comments had been "poorly judged".
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website
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