Cotton is racist, allegedly.
A handful of Facebook users who objected to the Selma Times-Journal caught the eye of AL(dot) com’s intrepid breaking news reporter, Patrick Darrington.
“Alabama newspaper under fire for posting picture of bale of cotton after Trump’s election,” Darrington’s headline said.
The image, posted to the Times-Journal Facebook page, showed at least six cotton bales wrapped in yellow TamaWrap, perhaps timed with cotton harvest that typically occurs in Alabama between mid-October and late-November.
According to the Alabama Farmers Federation, cotton is grown in 59 of Alabama’s 67 counties, and is a $270 million industry in Alabama, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Darrington’s report linked the cotton bale display to race by citing comments from unnamed Facebook users.
However, Selma Times-Journal publisher Brent Maze denied any ill-intent with the post.
“Unfortunately, a staff member had changed the Facebook page’s cover image to the picture of a bale of cotton,” Maze said. “There was no ill intent meant by the image. However, it was a mistake for the image to be published like this without context. It was not meant to imply something controversial or in bad taste, but it was nevertheless inappropriate. I regret that the image was posted, and I apologize on behalf of the Times-Journal staff for any harm that this has caused. We will learn from this and do better in the future.”
The cotton bale of the 19th century looked much different than the modern cotton bale, raising the question of how the post timed with Trump’s election, which 1,456,985 Alabamians supported on Tuesday, could trigger flashbacks to America’s shameful embrace of human slavery.
Jeff Poor is the editor in chief of 1819 News and host of “The Jeff Poor Show,” heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile’s FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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