There are many ways to describe a terror leader in a headline. But the Washington Post is getting ripped this morning for referring to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a headline as an “austere religious scholar.”

No, seriously:

They had it right the first time. The Washington Post changed the headline on its Al-Baghdadi obituary from “Islamic State’s terrorist-in-Chief” to “austere religious scholar at helm of Islamic State.” pic.twitter.com/cs243EVz7W — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 27, 2019

And the Post is getting excoriated for it:

He beheaded thousands of innocent people, raped and murdered little girls, and the @washingtonpost calls him an “austere religious scholar.” pic.twitter.com/mJdq5Of4Yl — The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) October 27, 2019

I thought this was a parody headline https://t.co/1UhqOF1yLk — Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) October 27, 2019

[Washington Post editorial meeting] "We need to write an obit for al-Baghdadi. What's our take?" 'He blew himself up along with three of his kids.' 'As the leader of ISIS he is responsible for uncountable deaths.' "Super. Let's go with the 'austere religious scholar angle." pic.twitter.com/0W2hdBV05b — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) October 27, 2019

So frustrating. Baghdadi was not a serious ‘religious scholar’ by any stretch; it’s a complete myth. The subject of his ‘Islamic studies’ PhD, from an obscure Saddam-era university, was an obscure random commentary on a medieval poem about how to recite the Quran. https://t.co/v1Qb0VshnT — Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) October 27, 2019

and right on cue: pic.twitter.com/Y7OVdknyDV — 𝔱𝔰𝔞𝔯 𝔟𝔢𝔠𝔨𝔢𝔱 𝔞𝔡𝔞𝔪𝔰 (@BecketAdams) October 27, 2019

I won't ever forget the burst of pride, jubiliation, and patriotism that DC was in after Bin-Laden's death Immediately after the announcement of Baghdadi's death I realized that moment of national catharsis is probably not possible today because now everything is political https://t.co/f8xXnIsY3H — Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) October 27, 2019

How do you make headlines less accurate and incorrect unless you are gripped by an all-consuming ideological worldview? https://t.co/6q8RWFkdW6 — Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) October 27, 2019

The Washington Post has become unembarrass-able. https://t.co/3mDUPA94cs — Brit Hume (@brithume) October 27, 2019

Washington Post needs to change this headline. Baghdadi was not some austere religious scholar. He was a genocidal maniac. pic.twitter.com/v5eXeYpxfh — Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) October 27, 2019

"Austere religious leader dies in darkness" — jon gabriel (@exjon) October 27, 2019

The Post has since changed the headline to “Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, extremist leader of Islamic State, dies at 48.”

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