Washington Post under fire for ‘misleading’ headline on Target bomb threats: ‘They buried the truth'
'Headline is intended for you to think conservatives are upset about Pride and calling in bomb threats,' Jason Rantz said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Washington Post came under fire on Monday for burying critical information when it reported that Target stores have received bomb threats over Pride merchandise.
The Post’s headline, "Target stores see more bomb threats over Pride merchandise," led many to believe that conservatives who object to Pride displays sent the threats. However, in the seventh paragraph of the report the Post noted police said some threats came from people who "accused Target of betraying the LGBTQ+ community." The report also noted a threat to Oklahoma City locations that was sent to a local TV station that ended "4/19/1995," the date of the Oklahoma City bombing by anti-government terrorist Timothy McVeigh.
Conservatives were initially annoyed when Pride merchandise for children and adult items, such as female-style swimsuits that can be used to "tuck" male genitalia, were prominently displayed at the front of stores. But when Target scaled back the presentation and removed certain items, citing safety concerns, members of the LGBTQ community felt betrayed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Washington Post was accused of burying the lead.
"The bomb threats are from people upset at Target for ‘betraying’ the LGBT community. But the headline is intended for you to think conservatives are upset about Pride and calling in bomb threats," radio host and "What's Killing America" author Jason Rantz wrote.
"These sorts of tweets are very helpful to me on my radio show explaining how mainstream media outlets are narrative focused and hide inconvenient truths to sell those narratives. They hope people won’t click," radio host Erick Erickson wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Influencer Ian Miles Cheong added, "We need a @communitynotes on this misleading tweet caption. As the article itself (but not the tweet) states, the threats were made by apparent trans activists upset with the removal of Pride merchandise at Target."
The information about who allegedly made the threats was behind a paywall and could not be accessed by anyone without a paid subscription.
The Washington Post did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Washington Post came under fire on Monday for burying critical information when it reported that Target stores have received bomb threats over Pride merchandise. ((Eric BARADAT / AFP))
Other outlets, such as The Hill, aggregated the Post report and used a similar headline.
"The media wants you to believe that a right wing terrorist sent bomb threats to target. The bomb threats actually came from an LGBTQ activist who was upset that target REMOVED some pride items," conservative account Libs of TikTok wrote. "You would never know that from the headlines though!"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Many others expressed disbelief at headlines related to the threats:
The Post reported that Target stores in Oklahoma, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Louisiana received threats, though no explosives were discovered. Stores in Ohio, Utah and Pennsylvania had previously received similar threats.
The paper also reported that news outlets in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York received a threatening email accusing Target of "betraying the LGBTQ+ community," citing South Burlington Police Chief Shawn Burke.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The stores were deemed safe after no explosives were found.
CONSUMERS CREEPED OUT BY TARGET'S 'TUCK-FRIENDLY' WOMEN'S SWIMWEAR: 'SHOPPING ELSEWHERE'
Many Target locations across the country feature massive June Pride month displays on an annual basis. (Brian Flood/Fox News)
Target Pride swimsuits boasted "tuck-friendly construction" and "extra crotch coverage," presumably to accommodate male genitalia, even if they are made in an otherwise female style. (Brian Flood/Fox News)
Target did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Earlier this month, a Target insider told Fox News Digital that it's devastating having innocent staffers being forced to defend the big-box store from angry customers on both sides of the Pride issue. Most rank-and-file employees were left in the dark about changes, with many not knowing the Pride sections would be moved and items would be pulled until they noticed it themselves.
"The decisions are made high above us and staffers have no say," the insider said.
Fox News Digital first reported that Target planned to scale back Pride merchandising plans after the company insider said executives wanted to avoid a "Bud Light situation" after widespread customer backlash.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Target’s market cap has fallen over $15.7 billion since last month.
Fox News’ Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.