On The Philly Inquirer Headline

The Philadelphia Inquirer issued an apology for an offensive headline this week to its readers and employees.

The Inquirer’s op-ed headline “Buildings Matter, Too” was an offensive attempt to play off the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

“Even vaguely suggesting a parallel between the loss of buildings and the loss of lives is inappropriate,” said National Association of Black Journalists President Dorothy Tucker.

The Inquirer did include a subheadline that said buildings “…can be rebuilt while lives are forever lost.But that doesn’t mean they will be.”The subheadline did not erase the insensitivity shown by publishing such a headline.

The headline ignited a storm of criticism on social media.The Inquirer used a different headline in its online version of the story.
The publication’s apology can be found here: https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-inquirer-black-lives-matter-headline-apology-20200603.html

President Tucker also said, “This obvious mistake further punctuates the need for diversity across the board in the nation’s newsrooms. Perspectives and sensitivities must be recognized and become part of the fabric of newsroom cultures.”

NABJ looks forward to immediate discussions with the Philadelphia Inquirer regarding opportunities available to help further improve diversity and training including engagement at the joint NABJ-NAHJ virtual convention.