The New York Times has changed a headline after facing backlash for attempting to sanitize the Virginia Democratic Party’s blackface scandal by referring to it as “dark makeup.”
Can you imagine them taking such a soft approach if the politician had been a republican?
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1093198483161460736
On Wednesday, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring admitted that just like their Democratic governor, he also wore blackface in college.
“Because of our ignorance and glib attitudes — and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others — we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup,” Mr. Herring said in a statement.
Instead of calling it what it was and pushing back against the Democrat, the way they would with a conservative, the New York Times ran a headline using his own description.
https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1093196382213685253
The push back was hard and swift — from both sides of the aisle.
“Dark makeup” is what TV makeup artists put on me because I’m a pale person of Northern ancestry. It’s what darker-complexioned people use normally. There is actually a specific term for what they’re talking about. Bizarre they wouldn’t use it; it’s been used everywhere all week. https://t.co/taQ7GW4Ge2
— Kelly Jane Torrance (@KJTorrance) February 6, 2019
I believe “dark makeup” is official AP style for “blackface worn by a Democrat” https://t.co/PavnECfzpi
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) February 6, 2019
I’m very curious about the editorial decision to avoid the word “blackface” or the more familiar “wore blackface” in favor of the less concise “put on dark makeup” and “blackened his face” in this piece, @nytimes. Can you speak to that at all, @jmartNYT?
— Joshua Roberts (@joshtweetsthat) February 6, 2019
Hey @nytimes this is why you get called Fake News. You know you’d never in a million years write this headline about a Republican but since it’s a Democrat admitting he wore blackface you decide to call it "Dark Makeup". This is why so few trust the mainstream media. pic.twitter.com/ifWi8gPugf
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 6, 2019
dressed in dark makeup? pic.twitter.com/0VMJjZ3Piy
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) February 6, 2019
As this reporter was writing about the social media firestorm, the New York Times stealth edited their article’s headline to “Virginia Attorney General Says He Also Dressed in Blackface.”
