Cape May Newspaper Apologizes, Changes Headline Over Protest

By most accounts, Monday's police brutality protest in Rio Grande was a peaceful, unifying community event that ended with protesters and police in a circle of prayer for America. There was no rioting in Rio Grande Monday, and any expression of anger or fear was focused on the national conversation about race relations.

You wouldn't necessarily have gotten that impression of the protest, however, from the headline of Tuesday's Cape May County Herald. "Anger, Fear in Rio Grande"

Wednesday, Cape May Herald Newspapers apologized for for that misleading headline...

"To the Herald Community:

On Tuesday afternoon we published a headline that got it terribly wrong. We apologize to our readers and, especially, to the protesters and police who felt we mischaracterized the event. We heard those who took to social media and Spout Off to express their frustrations with the headline. Our headline was intended to capture the righteous anger and fear swelling in the nation and in our local community. As the Rio Grande protest was a model of public unity, peace, and prayer, the headline appeared completely out of character with the demonstration – as well as our photo; so, it was a bad headline. The event was ongoing as we prepared for the weekly press run, and we didn't adequately adjust our reporting well enough to events as they unfolded. We failed to communicate clearly, and the burden lies with us to make sure we do. We can do better, and we will.

We have changed the headline online to reflect the entirety of the event, "Peace and Unity Defeat Fear and Anger in Rio Grande."

 

Calling it a "bad headline", the Herald changed the headline later in the day to "Peace and Unity defeat Fear and Anger in Rio Grande".