Early Thursday morning, police officials announced the identities of two suspects believed to be behind the deadly rampage in San Bernardino, California, that killed 14 people and injured 17 others. Authorities had been searching for Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, after the two alleged gunmen opened fire inside a center that helps individuals with developmental disabilities and then drove away in a black SUV. Farook and Malik were later killed in a gunfire exchange with the police.
With the official release of their names, the New York Post made the editorial decision to change its front-page headline with the following:
The @nypost changed their front page at some point. First said “murder session” but now screams “Muslim killers” pic.twitter.com/F27rlDLhgE
— Andrew Peng (@TheAPJournalist) December 3, 2015
Blatant bigotry aside, it’s also important to call out the Post’s inconsistent focus on religion in the aftermath of mass shootings in America. After last Friday’s Planned Parenthood shooting in Colorado, the paper did not feature a story about the attack on its front page, nor did its editors label that shooter a “Christian Killer” in any accompanying stories. Instead, on Saturday, the New York tabloid demeaned the city’s homeless population with a cover story headlined “How The Bums Stole Christmas.”
