Twitter slammed for lukewarm description of LeBron James' threatening tweet toward Columbus cop
'Threatening' and 'doxing' would be more accurate than 'referencing,' Clay Travis writes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Twitter is being ripped for appearing to cover for NBA star LeBron James's controversial, now-deleted tweet on Wednesday in which he posted a photo of the officer who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio, in order to prevent her from stabbing someone.
James posted a photo of the officer who shot Bryant along with the caption, "YOU'RE NEXT," and the hashtag #ACCOUNTABILITY, suggesting that the cop would be thrown behind bars just like former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted Tuesday of murdering George Floyd.
But in its "trending" section, Twitter referred to James "referencing" the officer in the shooting.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Lakers forward Lebron James says he deleted a Tweet referencing a Columbus police officer who fatally shot 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant because it was 'being used to create more hate," the description read.
LEBRON JAMES ACCUSED OF INCITING VIOLENCE WITH 'YOU'RE NEXT' TWEET TARGETING COLUMBUS POLICE OFFICER
Sports journalist Clay Travis and others rejected the lukewarm description of James' tweet to his nearly 50 million followers, given it could place the officer and his family in danger. In particular, they rejected Twitter's use of the word "referencing" and suggested a few alternatives.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Other concerned users wondered why Twitter hadn't banned or suspended James for posting the threatening warning.
Some sports media also appeared to cover for James or largely ignore the controversy. ESPN, which covered the aftermath of the Chauvin trial, seemingly did not find the NBA star's tweet as compelling. While the outlet often provides positive coverage of James' progressive activism, the only article of the controversial James tweet on ESPN.com is a report on James' explanation for it.
He did not apologize for the tweet, only noting he took the post down because it was "being used to create more hate." And, like other outlets, ESPN identified the officer's race in their report.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You’ll notice that woke athletes like LeBron never actually engage with facts or data," Travis wrote. "And the sports media all protect them from ever having to answer any questions about their ignorance on these issues. Sports media doesn’t speak truth to power, they ball wash."
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Travis shared what he thought was a more accurate description of James' behavior:
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Some media also misled viewers on the Columbus shooting itself. Outlets like The Daily Beast had to edit their initial reporting that suggested Bryant was unarmed when police shot her. The same went for NBC News, which edited out key parts of the 911 call referencing Bryant's knife during "Nightly News with Lester Holt" on Wednesday night.