A News Corp publication has acknowledged the widespread condemnation of its coverage of a transgender woman's vicious murder in Brisbane, but stopped short of apologising for its coverage.

The Courier-Mail acknowledged in an editorial that headlines labelling murder victim Mayang Prasetyo a "she-male" and "ladyboy" caused many to believe it "presented Mayang's story in a way that was disrespectful to her memory".

However, the newspaper stopped short of the public apology demanded by nearly 22,000 people who have signed an online petition on change.org so far.

"The Courier-Mail had no intention of diminishing the value of Mayang's life, or to add to the grief being felt by her family," the editorial reads.