Staffers protest after Philadelphia Inquirer’s ‘Buildings Matter, Too’ headline sparks mass outrage
STAFFERS at The Philadelphia Inquirer are protesting after the newspaper used the headline "Buildings Matter, Too" - which sparked a mass outrage amid the controversy surrounding George Floyd's death.
On Wednesday, "journalists of color" at The Philadelphia Inquirer penned an r to the newspaper's leadership urging the need for change.
The letter, which has obtained at least 44 signatures by Thursday morning, reads: "On June 4, we’re calling in sick and tired. Sick and tired of pretending things are OK. Sick and tired of not being heard.
"It is an act that pains us, knowing that now more than ever it is our duty and responsibility to uplift the marginalized voices of our community.
"But in this moment, it is more important for us to stand alongside those who have risen up against systemic racism and inequities and call on the Inquirer to do better. To be better."
The letter comes after an Op-ed was published in Tuesdays paper with the headline "Buildings Matter, Too."
Criticism struck the newspaper as soon as it was published as the headline appeared to mock the movement.
The BLM movement aims to eradicate white supremacy and fight against systemic racism.
It's trending to protest the death of in police custody in .
Inquirer Editors late Wednesday, admitting that the headline was "deeply offensive," the editors said: "We should not have printed it."
They added: "We’re sorry, and regret that we did. We also know that an apology on its own is not sufficient.
"The headline accompanied a story on the future of Philadelphia’s buildings and civic infrastructure in the aftermath of this week’s protests.
"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."
The headline has since been changed to "Damaging buildings disproportionately hurts the people protestors are trying to uplift."
An employee of the paper expressed his frustrations in a Wednesday and wrote: "What you don’t learn in school about being a Black journalist, is that you will likely feel intimidated into silence about systemic issues that actively hurt you, hurt people who look like you, hurt the communities you come from, over fear for retribution.
According to , the open letter was first published to Slack and included the names of those backing it.
An staffer with The Philadelphia Inquirer told HuffPost that an editor responded by saying they would donate their personal paid time off to journalists of color who lost days because they were protesting.
Protests and violence erupted in cities across the US following George Floyd's death in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.
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