Tabloids' Photos of Oscar Pistorious' Slain Girlfriend Outrage Readers
Tabloids are notoriously irreverent, but readers Friday expressed shock at the front-page spreads of Olympic runner Oscar Pistorious's slain girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp modeling swimsuits.
Rupert Murdoch's the Sun and the New York Post's punchy headlines about the alleged murder, for which the Olympian nicknamed "Blade Runner" has been charged, paired with modeling shots from Steenkamp's various swimsuit photoshoots. The New York Daily News jumped on board, too.
Readers on Twitter were infuriated Friday morning, calling it "despicable," "disgusting" and an example of tabloid newspapers' chauvinism and disrespect for women.
"The Sun's family values: a woman is never too dead to be masturbation fodder," Ellie Cumbo, a London-based feminist writer, wrote in a tweet. "A new low, and i'm not linking."
"The Sun newspaper have sexualised and sensationalised the murder of Reeva Steenkamp with their front page," tweeted Andrew Robinson of Englandshire. "Disgraceful and disgusting."
"The Sun's front page today is the best possible example of how tabloid culture sees women," wrote journalist Laurie Penny. "Disgusting. #mediaantisexism"
And a British Labour Party parliamentarian Chris Bryant demanded a mea culpa from the News Corporation CEO.
"This is a simply despicable front page. It glories in domestic violence," he tweeted. "@rupertmurdoch apologise."
U.S. readers had similar feelings.
Linking to the stories in the New York tabloids, a user named "Angel Food4Thought" was just shocked.
"Just wow...," she tweeted.
"Always classy, @NYPost and @NYDailyNews," tweeted Rachel Goldberg of Charlotte, N.C. "Reeva Steenkamp's family has that comfort at least."
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