LA Times accused of ‘blaming’ Mexican cartel massacre victims by noting family’s ‘long history of violence’
Members of family massacred in Mexico had been previously victimized by cartel violence
Nine Americans were killed when their convoy was ambushed in broad daylight by gunmen believed to be affiliated with a drug cartel; insight from Robbie Whelan, Wall Street Journal correspondent covering Latin America.
The Los Angeles Times faced fierce backlash for its coverage of the nine Americans murdered by a Mexican drug cartel this week, after a report highlighted the family’s “long history of violence.”
At least six children and three women living in a faith-based community of U.S. citizens in Mexico were shot to death Monday in the northern part of the country, and six more children were wounded after their convoy came under fire during a brazen daylight ambush believed to have been carried out by gunmen affiliated with cartels.
All the victims are believed to be members of the extended LeBaron family, who have lived in a religious community in La Mora, northern Mexico, a decades-old settlement in Sonora state founded as part of an offshoot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around 70 miles south of Douglas, Ariz.
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However, the California newspaper ran a report on Monday headlined, “U.S. victims in Mexico massacre were tied to family with a long history of violence,” which detailed the community’s tragic past with the cartels.
The Los Angeles Times faced criticism over a story on the victims of the Mexico massacre.
The report sparked a firestorm of criticism on social media.
“Is the idea here that the victims had it coming? This is an insane piece,” conservative commentator Ben Shapiro reacted.
“This story is just terrible. A family is burying small children and now the media is dredging up completely unrelated events, committed by distant relatives, that happened more than a generation ago. Nice,” The Dispatch senior editor David French wrote.
Is the idea here that the victims had it coming? This is an insane piece. https://twitter.com/latimes/status/1192117695153618945 …Los Angeles Times?@latimesU.S. victims in Mexico massacre were tied to family with a long history of violence https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-11-06/mormons-mexico-lebaron-fundamentalist-history …13.2K9:10 AM – Nov 6, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy2,544 people are talking about this
This story is just terrible. A family is burying small children and now the media is dredging up completely unrelated events, committed by distant relatives, that happened more than a generation ago. Nice. https://twitter.com/latimes/status/1192117695153618945 …Los Angeles Times?@latimesU.S. victims in Mexico massacre were tied to family with a long history of violence https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-11-06/mormons-mexico-lebaron-fundamentalist-history …4,7309:07 AM – Nov 6, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy1,138 people are talking about this
Were their skirts also too short? https://twitter.com/latimes/status/1192117695153618945 …Los Angeles Times?@latimesU.S. victims in Mexico massacre were tied to family with a long history of violence https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-11-06/mormons-mexico-lebaron-fundamentalist-history …1839:03 AM – Nov 6, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy34 people are talking about this
So they deserved to be massacred? What is the point of this headline? https://twitter.com/latimes/status/1192117695153618945 …Los Angeles Times?@latimesU.S. victims in Mexico massacre were tied to family with a long history of violence https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-11-06/mormons-mexico-lebaron-fundamentalist-history …1,5259:04 AM – Nov 6, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy371 people are talking about this
The Washington Examiner’s Siraj Hashmi equated the Times’s report on the family to reports that have dug up “old problematic tweets.”
“They did it. They basically dug up the old problematic tweets of the family that was brutally murdered by a drug cartel in northern Mexico this week,” Hashmi wrote.
They did it. They basically dug up the old problematic tweets of the family that was brutally murdered by a drug cartel in northern Mexico this week. https://twitter.com/latimes/status/1192117695153618945 …Los Angeles Times?@latimesU.S. victims in Mexico massacre were tied to family with a long history of violence https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-11-06/mormons-mexico-lebaron-fundamentalist-history …3342:48 PM – Nov 6, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy62 people are talking about this
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As Townhall’s Julio Rosas pointed out, the Times later changed the headline of its report to “Massacre of U.S. citizens aims spotlight at Mormon community with deep roots in Mexico.”
The Los Angeles Times did not immediately respond to Fox News’ question regarding the changed headline.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
