National Geographic Did Not Call the Milky Way Racist

Misbar’s investigation has determined that the tweeted images are fake: There is no National Geographic article that discusses whether or not the name of the Milky Way is racist. 

None of the social media posts that highlighted this article provide a link to the source article. Instead, every single one consists of an image with no web link. 

It appears as if this false image spread when someone decided to doctor a tweet that National Geographic posted on May 28th. Like the fake image that spread online, the tweet contains the same image of a galaxy. It also starts with the word “bright,” as with the fake image. The article attached to the real tweet does not involve a discussion of the terminology of the Milky Way. Instead, it focuses upon a radio burst from a galaxy other than the Milky Way.

A simple search on the National Geographic website using the words, “Milky Way racist” does not result in an article titled “Is the Milky Way Galaxy racist?” as listed among the results. Instead, the user is provided with articles that discuss the Milky Way without referencing race. 

Lastly, the fabricated post uses incorrect capitalization, word choice, and comma placement. National Geographic has its own writing style guide, and hires numerous editors and proofreaders: It would be unlikely for them to publish something containing so many errors.

What may have inspired the faked image of the National Geographic Post is National Geographic’s response to accusations of racism in the past. In 2018, the magazine’s editor informed its readers that National Geographic had previously been complicit in racist coverage and conducted other racist acts, such as refusing people of color to attend its lectures. Vox did an analysis of the magazine’s approach last month, bringing National Geographic’s reckoning with race back into the spotlight.