A leading UK newspaper, The Independent, has provoked an online uproar by arguing in a sub-headline on its front page that Kyle Rittenhouse "shot three black men".
This was published on 19 November, when the newspaper reported that Rittenhouse was "cleared of murder after shooting dead two Black Lives Matter protesters" in Kenosha last year.
"Full story: Teenager who shot three black men with rifle found not guilty on all charges", the sub-headline read. There's just one little issue - all three men shot by Rittenhouse were, in fact, white.
It appears that the sub-headline has been corrected since then, but no apologies have yet been issued by The Independent over the incident.
Almost all netizens were quick to lash out at what they described as an "absolute scam" and an "utterly contemptible" situation. Some users sarcastically reminded The Independent that all three of those men were white rather than black, attaching the relevant photos to their Twitter posts.
"Next time an Independent journalist accuses anyone of trafficking in misinformation, throw this front page back in their face. The three men shot by Kyle Rittenhouse were white, not black. Staggeringly irresponsible journalism", one user noted.
On Friday, 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges, including reckless and intentional homicide, after shooting three men, killing two, during racial justice riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on 25 August 2020.