Intense Backlash Over Media's ‘Irresponsible’ and ‘Shameful’ Coverage of Dallas Shooting

A number of newspapers and media outlets were heavily criticized early Friday for their Dallas shooting headlines, which some readers called "irresponsible," "awful" and "shameful."

"CIVIL WAR" the New York Post's front page blared. "Four cops killed at anti-police protest"

A subheading on the New York Post cover continued, "At least four cops were shot and killed and seven others wounded in Dallas last night as protests over the police slayings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota rocked cities nationwide, including New York."

Five officers have now been confirmed dead, and 12 shot in the downtown Dallas shooting.

As facts were still coming in late Thursday night and into Friday night, many on Twitter pointed out the potential inaccuracy of the headline.

Others blasted the right-leaning publication, calling its headline "irresponsible," "awful" and "shameful."

The Drudge Report was similarly criticized for its initial headline early Friday, which read, in part, "Black Lives Kill."

Uncharacteristic of Drudge, the headline was later taken down and replaced with a somewhat less provocative description.

The New York Daily News also came under fire for its headline, which began with "MADNESS."

"Snipers shoot 11 cops — killing 4 — at police brutality protest in Dallas," the Daily News headline continued.

One user likened the cover to that of the New York Post cover, calling both "unhelpful."

The cover was published just one day after the New York Daily News ran an extremely graphic front page image on Thursday showing 37-year-old Alton Sterling dead on the ground in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, blood pouring from his chest.

The publication planned to run a different cover before news of the Dallas shooting broke. It showed a young, black child with arms wrapped around an individual wearing a backward cap. The headline read, simply, "Am I next, Daddy?"

That cover was also criticized for "fanning the flames" still just hours after the deaths of two black men at the hands of white officers.

(H/T: Mediaite)

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