The media misleads as much by what it does not say as by what it does. This can rise to the level of borderline hate hoaxing. For example:
A fire that severely damaged a historic Black church that served as the headquarters for a 1968 sanitation workers’ strike, which brought the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis, was intentionally set, investigators said Wednesday. …
Located just south of the iconic Beale Street, the Clayborn Temple was built in 1892 as the Second Presbyterian Church and originally served an all-white congregation. In 1949 the building was sold to an African Methodist Episcopal congregation and given its current name.
More historicness occurred during the sanitation workers strike:
The Clayborn Temple hosted nightly meetings during the strike, and the movement’s iconic “I AM A MAN” posters were made in its basement. The temple was also a staging point for marches to City Hall, including one on March 28, 1968, that was led by King and turned violent when police and protesters clashed on Beale Street. One person was killed.
Readers are left to assume that a dastardly racist was responsible for the arson. Good thing he will soon be apprehended:
Investigators are searching for a person suspected of being involved with the blaze.
What, no picture of the suspect? Let’s turn to the Memphis Fire Department, from earlier in the day:
Media Update: Clayborn Temple Fire Investigation pic.twitter.com/mcFaPmt9NW
— Memphis Fire Department (@MEM_Fire) May 21, 2025
On a tip from Jim K.