Faster than you can shout “FORE,”  the editor of an American golf magazine has been fired for a cover picture of a ‘noose’ on its January 19th edition, an illustration which smacked of tabloid journalism.

The seeds of the controversy were planted two weeks ago during a ‘live’ broadcast on the Golf Channel (Cable 51 in Regina.)  The commentator in discussing possible challengers to the best golfer in the world, Tiger Woods, said jokingly, they’d have to “lynch him in a back alley.” 

Golf Channel issued a statement four days later to say it regretted the comment and that its TV anchor had apologized to Woods. But when Black activists demanded her firing, Golf Channel suspended its host for two weeks. 

Golfweek magazine followed up by devoting several pages to the controversy and asked that the commentator’s remarks be placed in context.  Fair enough!  But it erred with its cover, showing a noose against a purple sky with the title, “Caught in a Noose.” For many, the noose is a symbol of lynchings of thousands of blacks in the Old South.  The original episode had quieted down but the magazine’s sensationalistic cover stoked further outrage.

Curiously, Golfweek initially defended its magazine cover, describing it as a strong and provocative graphic to portray the controversial issue.  Then as a firestorm of public criticism developed, the magazine issued an apology and announced that its editor had been replaced.  The picture of the noose has since been removed from the magazine’s website.