An editor at Reuters apologized Thursday after he blamed President Trump for the deadly Capital Gazette shooting in Annapolis, Md.
Global Editor Rob Cox’s apology came in a series of four tweets in which he said he was remorseful for blaming Trump prior to the shooter’s motives becoming clear.
The man accused of shooting and killing five Capital Gazette staffers was identified Thursday as Jarrod W. Ramos, who allegedly targeted the newsroom over a 2012 defamation lawsuit.
“This is what happens when @realDonaldTrump calls journalists the enemy of the people. Blood is on your hands, Mr. President. Save your thoughts and prayers for your empty soul,” Cox wrote in a now-deleted tweet, TheWrap reports.
“When I saw the news today that a mass shooter had targeted the employees of a newspaper in Maryland I responded emotionally and inappropriately,” Cox tweeted.
“Though my comments were entirely personal, they were not in keeping with the Reuters Trust Principles and my own standards for letting facts, not snap judgments, guide my understanding,” he added.
Cox went on to say his experience as a member of the Newtown, Conn., community in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy and as a member of the media pushed him “into a state of emotional distress.”
“I am sorry for my comments, which I quickly deleted and have disavowed, and especially remorseful if they did anything to distract from the thoughts and love we must send to the community of Annapolis,” Cox finished.
4 – I am sorry for my comments, which I quickly deleted and have disavowed, and especially remorseful if they did anything to distract from the thoughts and love we must send to the community of Annapolis.
— Rob Cox (@rob1cox) June 29, 2018
Reuters Editor-in-Chief Steve Adler also issued a statement, calling Cox’s message “inconsistent with the Thomas Reuters Trust Principles requiring journalists to maintain freedom from bias.”
Cox wasn’t the only member of the press who jumped to criticize Trump for his anti-media rhetoric. A number of journalists, almost immediately after news of the shooting broke, noted Trump’s vilification of the media.
The victims of the Capital Gazette shooting were identified as Wendi Winters, John McNamara, Gerald Fischman, Rebecca Smith, and Rob Hiaasen.
