The New York Times covered up Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s blackface Wednesday, instead referring to the racist face-paint as “brown makeup” and “dark makeup.”
Herring, who is second in line to the governorship behind Gov. Ralph Northam and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, admitted Wednesday that he wore blackface as part of a costume he wore to a college party in 1980.
Instead of calling Herring’s costume “blackface,” the New York Times opted in a tweet to call it “brown makeup.” They employed a similar euphemistic tactic with an article headline, calling it “dark makeup.”
“Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says he dressed up in a wig and brown makeup as part of a costume while a university student,” the NYT tweet said.
The tweet has since been deleted and the headline updated.
NYT ‘Dark Makeup’ (Twitter Screenshot)
Heck of a headline update from The New York Times. pic.twitter.com/czkDqJwSAK
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 6, 2019
Herring’s admission only underscored the current scandal facing Virginia Democratic leadership. Last week, a photo from Northam’s senior page in his medical school yearbook showed two young men dressed in blackface and KKK robes, although Northam denies that he is in the photo. Fairfax, meanwhile, is facing unsubstantiated accusations of sexual assault. (RELATED: Fairfax Hints Mayor Of Richmond Behind Sexual Assault Story)