Philadelphia Inquirer Journalists Revolt Against ‘Buildings Matter, Too’ Headline; Editors Pushed To Apologise

June 4 marked a silent revolt of sorts among the journalists at Philadelphia Inquirer. Around 44 journalists of color signed an open letter as a mark of contempt against the publication for running a rather insensitive headline on Page 12 of its Wednesday’s print edition.

The highly controversial article, which went with the HL: “Buildings Matter, Too” evoked a sense of heightened fury among millions, who believed the title painted a twisted narrative, drawing an absurd comparison between the loss of buildings and the lives of Black Americans.

The copy comprised of an incisive peek into the future of Philadelphia’s buildings and civic infrastructure in the wake of the violent protests for justice in the George Floyd killing that occurred on May 25.

Journalists working for the daily decision to stay home and penned down a heart-wrenching letter dissing the organization for being gorily insensitive about the entire incident. Bits of the article such as “Sick and tired of pretending things are OK,” “The carelessness of our leadership makes it harder to do our jobs, and at worst puts our lives at risk.” were tweeted by some of the Inquirer employees.

Unsurprisingly, the protest pushed the editors to step up and make amends: An apology was rolled out by the editors, admitting to how the headline was “deeply offensive.” Editor Gabriel Escobar, Managing Editor Patrick Kerkstra and Executive Editor Stan Wischnowski signed the apology that stated, “We’re sorry, and regret that we did” and admitted, “This incident makes clear that changes are needed, and we are committing to start immediately.”

The apology further read: “The headline offensively riffed on the Black Lives Matter movement, and suggested an equivalence between the loss of buildings and the lives of black Americans. That is unacceptable. “While no such comparison was intended, the intent is ultimately irrelevant. An editor’s attempt to capture a columnist’s nuanced argument in a few words went horribly wrong, and the resulting hurt and anger are plain.”

The letter ended with a joint apology for the entire staff. “Finally, we apologize to Inquirer journalists, particularly those of color, who expressed sadness, anger, and embarrassment in a two-hour newsroom-wide meeting Wednesday. An enormous amount of pressure sits on the shoulders of black and brown Inquirer journalists, and mistakes like this, made by the publication they work for, are profoundly demoralizing. We hear you and will continue to listen as we work to improve.”

Following the apology was an immediate change in the headline in the online version of the copy on Thursday. The copy then read, “Damaging buildings disproportionately hurts the people protesters are trying to uplift.”