New York Post Dragged for Article Shaming Homeless Man for Eating From Whole Foods Hot Bar

January 02, 2020 Admin 0 Comments

Plus, a police officer’s McDonald’s “pig” coffee cup was a hoax, and more news to start your day

New York Post invites controversy with insult-filled story about homeless man eating at Whole Foods

Backlash has been swift and fierce in response to a derogatory story in the New York Post about an apparently homeless man eating food directly from a buffet at a Manhattan Whole Foods.

The story, published on December 30 under the headline “Homeless man turns Manhattan Whole Foods into his personal hot bar,” includes identifiable photos of the man accompanied by florid descriptions, like “drooling and pungent,” “visibly dirty mitts,” and “mouth [...] wet with drool and framed by a scraggly beard.” Some social media users, including prominent journalists on Twitter, condemned the Post’s story as a cruel and dehumanizing jab against homeless people, and a dubious example of journalism that neglected to include the voice of the subject himself.

Others, including Post employees, defended the story as journalism that simply reported the facts:

Please note, this noble journalistic endeavor — with an astonishing triple byline — begins with the line “Bum appétit,” a choice that almost certainly isn’t taught at J-schools everywhere.

And in other news…

• A Kansas police officer has resigned after writing “fucking pig” on his own McDonald’s coffee cup and blaming it on the employees. [KSNT]
• Just in time for “new year, new me” season, Chipotle’s latest addition to its menu is a Supergreens salad mix — featuring romaine, kale, and spinach — to replace its romaine-only salad base. [QSR Magazine]
• El Pollo Loco has also prepped for the New Year with a new line of three “Fit Bowls,” designed for customers who are on keto, paleo, or otherwise “healthier” diets. [QSR Magazine]
• Now here’s a sentence: “French chef Marc Veyrat has lost his soufflé-based lawsuit against the Michelin guide.” Veyrat had taken Michelin to court after the guide demoted his Alpine restaurant from three stars to two, with an inspector saying that the restaurant uses cheddar, an English cheese, in its soufflé — a statement that Veyrat disputed, asserting that his soufflé only uses native French cheese. [CNN]
• In Canada and the U.K., a growing campaign seeks to differentiate “real,” traditional sourdough from the “sourfaux” more commonly sold in supermarkets. [Toronto Star]

• All AM Intel Coverage [E]