We Screwed Up, And We Are Profoundly Sorry

Jun 5, 2020 at 8:19 pm
apology

We ran a headline on a social media post Friday that was insensitive, tone-deaf and insulting to Black people and everyone who has been on the streets risking lives.

We are sorry, and we will work to make sure it does not happen again.

One of our staff wrote the headline, and I did not look at it before it was posted. That is my mistake.

That will not happen again.

Here is how the headline was written:

The headline was on our weekly list of five things to do on the weekend. First and foremost, we wanted people to know about all of the opportunities to take part in protests, forums and vigils around the city. 

We also listed things not associated to the protests, things that typically people do on weekends. 

In the headline, the writer tied the protests to these other events. That made it seem like we were treating the protests as some kind of fun activity. We were not. That was not the intention.

We were wrong, and we apologize.

We are sorry for any hurt we have caused. We are sorry for causing any more pain at a time when the city has suffered too much pain.

We can and will do better. Please let us win back your trust.