The New York Times changed its print edition headline about President Trump’s response to two mass shootings after the paper received flak from multiple presidential candidates.
Over the weekend, over thirty people were killed in shootings hours apart in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. The president addressed the shootings in prepared remarks on Monday morning. He called out “grisly video games” and condemned white nationalism, but many felt as though he didn’t address his own culpability.
The original headline read “TRUMP URGES UNITY VS. RACISM.” The accompanying photo is of the memorial set up at the Walmart where the El Paso shooting occurred.
Unbelievable. https://t.co/rLgaacttDS
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) August 6, 2019
The Times’ headline was widely ridiculed and those who were critical of it included some who are seeking the presidency.
Lives literally depend on you doing better, NYT. Please do. https://t.co/L4CpCb8zLi
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) August 6, 2019
Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke simply referred to the headline as “unbelievable,” while New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker said, “Lives literally depend on you doing better, NYT. Please do.”
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also commented saying that the headline was “not what happened,” while New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted, “Hey, @nytimes — what happened to ‘The Truth Is Worth It?’ Not the truth. Not worth it.”
Hey, @nytimes — what happened to “The Truth Is Worth It?”
Not the truth.
Not worth it. pic.twitter.com/N5tMTEoLln— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) August 6, 2019
“The headline was bad and has been changed for the second edition,” a spokesperson for the Times told the Washington Post.
The backlash also included members of the media. Some were critical of the headline but argued that those who said they are canceling their subscription, like Joan Walsh, were wrong to do that after the controversial headline.
One headline writer’s mistake is not cause enough to close the door on an army of truly great journalists who don’t write the headlines —as you know. https://t.co/SFJARWTg02
— julie k. brown (@jkbjournalist) August 6, 2019
“One headline writer’s mistake is not cause enough to close the door on an army of truly great journalists who don’t write the headlines,” tweeted Julie K. Brown, an investigative reporter with the Miami Herald, in response to Walsh.
That’s not what happened. https://t.co/m6eIZOARcZ
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) August 6, 2019
Following the outcry of condemnation, the Times then changed the headline to ‘“ASSAILING HATE BUT NOT GUNS.” The photo that went along with the story was also changed. The new photo is captioned, “A vigil at Horizon High School in El Paso for Javier Amir Rodriguez, a 15-year-old student who was fatally shot at a local Walmart.”
