Newsweek felt the wrath of Twitter after posting an article with a photo of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a casket.
Despite being able to choose from hundreds of other photos of the activist, the news site decided that the casket photo was a good decision to share on social media.
On New Year's Day, Newsweek sent out a tweet for an article titled, “Has Anyone Seen My Old Friend Martin?” quickly drawing the ire of Twitter users who wondered why this photo was chosen. One of those users was MLK's daughter, Rev. Bernice A. King, who had to relive the assassination of her father with the unnecessary photo.
According to The Root, the article the photo referred to was a repost of an article that initially appeared on the Council on Foreign Affairs site. The site listed historical anniversaries of note for 2018 which includes the fiftieth anniversary of MLK's assassination on April 4. Others pointed out King's class in handling the situation while also condemning the prestigious news organization for such a reckless decision.
So disrespectful. Why @Newsweek? https://t.co/ztFuHVKVcl
#socialmedia
#fail— Sia Nyorkor (@TVNewsLady) January 2, 2018
His DAUGHTER responded to Newsweek and they had it removed.
HIS. DAUGHTER.
If I was scrolling through social… https://t.co/XgRc2AcAEj
— Briana Glover (@SnowPea86) January 2, 2018
So @Newsweek thought posting MLK in his casket was a smart move… Welcome to 2018 smh pic.twitter.com/WM8UIfqkNa
— Run Up, Get Done Up (@iFredLee) January 1, 2018
I give @BerniceKing all the credit for her grace in handling this. I know for a fact that if someone did to me what @Newsweek did to her and her family, I would have lost every bit of my mind. https://t.co/BIOUJSb4c0
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) January 1, 2018
It took a little over an hour for Newsweek to apologize. In a tweet, the site called it an "egregious error" but like many on Twitter, one has to ask why was it approved in the first place.
Earlier this afternoon we published an opinion piece with an insensitive image of Martin Luther King Jr. We sincerely apologize to the King family for this egregious error.
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 1, 2018
