Margaret Sullivan, the New York Times’ public editor, confessed Monday afternoon that a writer’s use of the term “no angel” to describe Michael Brown was “a regrettable mistake” and saying that the 18-year-old killed by a Ferguson, Mo., police officer was no angel seemed “to suggest that this was, altogether, a bad kid.”
New York Times writer John Eligon used the phrase in a profile of Brown published yesterday, and the backlash was profound.
https://twitter.com/pterosaur/status/503882195434741760
If the NYT thinks Mike Brown was ‘no angel’ for having smoke and drunk before, I wonder how they feel about Obama who used to do coke
— Hamilton (@Trisity_) August 25, 2014
George W. Bush used coke and weed, got a DUI at 30, lied about WMD and tortured people. @nytimes never once said he was "no angel."
— mike ? (@mikesbadtweets) August 25, 2014
The man who killed a teenager led a bland life, but the boy who died was no angel. I see you, @NYTimes.
— Afroanna Puffington (@BabylonSista) August 25, 2014
https://twitter.com/BloodyBHoney/status/503887496275841024
https://twitter.com/pterosaur/status/503887654459805696
on the other hand, #DarrenWilson "was no angel" sounds more accurate. "public records" show he executed an unarmed teen. #MikeBrown
— profloumoore (@loumoore12) August 25, 2014
Very noble of NYT to depict Mike Brown as "no angel" as if EVERY OTHER NORTH AMERICAN TEENAGER doesn't "dabble" in the same things. Jesus.
— Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) August 25, 2014
If the @nytimes says Mike Brown's no angel b/c he dabbles in weed, alcohol & "has taken to rapping," God forbid what they'll write about me.
— Brian ? Ries (@moneyries) August 25, 2014
I don't advocate lionizing the dead. But when we write about black men who've been killed by the police, "no angel" carries a new meaning.
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) August 25, 2014
https://twitter.com/a_girl_irl/status/503893091888422912
https://twitter.com/theonlyadult/status/503893614833848321
https://twitter.com/mollycrabapple/status/503902247093547008
I have long suspected I'm no angel. Luckily, no one's seen fit to put 6 bullets into me for it.
— Maaza Mengiste (@MaazaMengiste) August 25, 2014
I'll be honest: my 3 year old daughter is no angel. She can be a real brat. Still, even I would say it's wrong to summarily execute her.
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) August 25, 2014
MoDo has dabbled with drugs, just like Mike Brown. Will NYT report as "news" that she's no angel?
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) August 25, 2014
I guess I'm no angel either…. #RIPMikeBrown
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) August 25, 2014
"He was no angel." How many times did everybody hear a similar smear during the #Trayvon tragedy? Nobody at the @nytimes I guess. #Shameful
— Andy Kindler (@AndyKindler) August 25, 2014
https://twitter.com/lilnerdette/status/504004880286351360
The author of the piece says, in hindsight, he would have changed the wording:
“I understand the concerns, and I get it,” Mr. Eligon said. He agreed that “no angel” was not a good choice of words and explained that they were meant to play off the opening anecdote of the article in which Mr. Brown saw an angelic vision. That anecdote “is about as positive as you can get,” Mr. Eligon said, and noted that a better way to segue into the rest of the article might have been to use a phrase like “wasn’t perfect.”
“Hindsight is 20/20. I wish I would have changed that,” he said.
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