Journalists of color at the Philadelphia Inquirer did not go to work on Thursday in protest of the newspaper’s publishing of a controversial headline and a piece decrying the destruction of property.
As of Thursday morning, 43 minority journalists at the publication signed a letter addressed to “leadership” expressing their frustration with the headline that read “Buildings Matter, Too,” a quip in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement that seeks to draw attention to systemic racism and police brutality.
“It’s no coincidence that communities hurt by systemic racism only see journalists in their neighborhoods when people are shot or buildings burn down,” the letter read. “It takes commitment to correct and improve that relationship. It is an insult to our work, our communities, and our neighbors to see that trust destroyed—and makes us that much more likely to face threats and aggression. The carelessness of our leadership makes it harder to do our jobs, and at worst puts our lives at risk.”
The letter also said that the journalists would be “calling in sick” on Thursday because they were “sick and tired of pretending things are OK. Sick and tired of not being heard.”
“We demand full, transparent commitment to changing how we do business,” the letter continued. “No more ‘handling internally.’ No more quiet corrections. If we are to walk into a better world, we need to do it with our chests forward—acknowledge and accept where we make mistakes, and show how we learn from them. Your embarrassment is not worth more than our humanity.”
The headline in question appeared in Tuesday’s edition of the paper. The outlet later apologized for “suggest[ing] an equivalence between the loss of buildings and the lives of black Americans.”
“While no such comparison was intended, intent is ultimately irrelevant,” the paper said. “An editor’s attempt to capture a columnist’s nuanced argument in a few words went horribly wrong, and the resulting hurt and anger are plain.”
The apology, which was blasted by the journalists as “hasty,” was signed by Stan Wischnowski, the executive editor, Gabriel Escobar, an editor, and Patrick Kerkstra, the managing editor, who said the paper would “review the editorial process” and “implement safeguards to flag sensitive content.”
The controversy emerged amid ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd, a black man, who died while in police custody last week.
