Walmart has pulled a controversial T-shirt that seemed to incite violence against journalists after complaints surfaced.
The retailer made the decision after a recent letter was sent to them from a journalism advocacy group called the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA).
The design on the shirt included text with a simple message: “Rope. Tree. Journalist. SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.” The controversial text references hanging—possibly lynching—journalists.
NTD checked the website and confirmed that the shirt had been removed from Walmart.com.
A spokesperson for Walmart told NPR that the shirt “clearly violates our policy” and that the company is also reviewing all the products it sells from Teespring.
“We are grateful for Walmart’s swift action, but dismayed that it, and anyone else selling the shirt, would offer such an offensive and inflammatory product,” Shelley said. “We live in an environment in which political and ideological discourse has deteriorated to the level where some find it appropriate to advocate violence targeting journalists merely for performing their Constitutionally-guaranteed duty to seek and report the truth,” he added.
In an updated tweet, RTDNA said that less than 24 hours after Walmart removed the shirt from its website, Teespring.com also removed it from their site as well.
“We recognize that under the First Amendment, companies have a right to sell, and consumers have a right to purchase, these shirts. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do, especially in today’s vitriolic climate,” Shelley said in the letter.