Apparently a couple of news sites felt that in order to “outdo” the others, it would be a good idea to do a play on words with 12 Years a Slave and “escape.” Because, you know, slavery and escaping are all talking points today.
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The News-Gazette, which is based in Illinois, had this ill-conceived headline in its print edition today, and no one is planning on letting them live this one down:
The News-Gazette wasn’t the only news outlet that thought mixing the words “slavery” and “escape” would be a great idea. The Denver Post had a go at it as well:
A simple “12 Years a Slave Wins an Oscar” would have sufficed. But, you know, that would have been asking too much of the right thing.
Yesha Callahan is a full-time writer and single mother living in Columbia, Md. She has written for BlogHer, Jezebel and The Grio and has been seen on HuffPost Live and TV One’s NewsOne Now With Roland Martin. She is currently the managing editor of Clutch magazine and is a former comedy and politics writer for BET’s Don’t Sleep! Hosted by T.J. Holmes.
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