(Credit: Twitter)
After the Annapolis newsroom shooting, Reuters editor Rob Cox tweeted, “This is what happens when @realDonaldTrump calls journalists the enemy of the people. Blood is on your hands, Mr. President. Save your thoughts and prayers for your empty soul.”
Now, Cox is apologizing.
“When I saw the news today that a mass shooter had targeted the employees of a newspaper in Maryland I responded emotionally and inappropriately,” he tweeted. “Though my comments were entirely personal, they were not in keeping with the Reuters Trust Principles and my own standards for letting facts, not snap judgments, guide my understanding. ”
He continued, “My experience as a member of the community of Newtown, Connecticut in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy, combined with the possibility that my colleagues in the press were being targeted, pushed me into a state of emotional distress. I am sorry for my comments, which I quickly deleted and have disavowed, and especially remorseful if they did anything to distract from the thoughts and love we must send to the community of Annapolis.”
Reuters issued a June 28 statement from its editor-in-chief Steve Adler stating:
“Earlier this evening, Reuters Breakingviews Editor Rob Cox tweeted about the shooting in Annapolis, Maryland. He has since deleted the tweet and apologized. Mr. Cox’s actions were inconsistent with the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles requiring journalists to maintain freedom from bias. We do not condone his behavior and will take appropriate action.”
iMediaEthics has written to Reuters to ask if it has decided on any disciplinary action. Reuters pointed to Adler’s June 28 statement.
This past week, Springfield Republican reporter Conor Berry resigned after his tweet about the Annapolis shooting and Trump.
When I saw the news today that a mass shooter had targeted the employees of a newspaper in Maryland I responded emotionally and inappropriately.
— Rob Cox (@rob1cox) June 29, 2018
2- Though my comments were entirely personal, they were not in keeping with the Reuters Trust Principles and my own standards for letting facts, not snap judgments, guide my understanding.
— Rob Cox (@rob1cox) June 29, 2018
3 – My experience as a member of the community of Newtown, Connecticut in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy, combined with the possibility that my colleagues in the press were being targeted, pushed me into a state of emotional distress.
— Rob Cox (@rob1cox) June 29, 2018
4 – I am sorry for my comments, which I quickly deleted and have disavowed, and especially remorseful if they did anything to distract from the thoughts and love we must send to the community of Annapolis.
— Rob Cox (@rob1cox) June 29, 2018
Disgusting. You can tell this is a person who thought (and may be right) that because he was on the “other side” from Trump that it would be OK to tweet something like this. His comment is repulsive, and it wouldn’t matter who it was, you don’t do the routine that David Hogg and many before him rely on of calling out a single person that you disagree with by linking them to a national tragedy. Very disappointing to see that people can have their lives ruined over much less, and Rob Cox will get off scott free.