Washington Post fawns over Gov. Ralph Northam in puff piece praising 'rebirth' following blackface scandal

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Media top headlines January 10

In media news today, The Associated Press knocks Biden for ‘falling short’ on transparency, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky fails to disclose how many deaths were ‘from’ COVID-19, and The Washington Post blasts Justice Sonia Sotomayor for her ‘false’ COVID claim.

The Washington Post appears more than eager to forget the blackface scandal that consumed Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's tenure in Richmond as his tumultuous term reaches its final days.

In a Sunday piece headlined ‘‘A wounded healer’: Ralph Northam wraps up term in office, forged by scandal into a governor of lasting consequence," reporter Gregory Schneider referred to Northam's "rebirth" following the scandal and claimed what he learned as a result led him to find a "new political footing."

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The scandal erupted in Feb. 2019 when a medical school yearbook photo from Eastern Virginia Medical School, Northam's alma mater, resurfaced, showing a person dressed in blackface and standing next to another individual dressed like a member of the Ku Klux Klan. 

Northam quickly apologized for the photo but later denied he was one of the people in it as he stood firm against widespread calls to resign. That included prominent Democrats running for president and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who later praised him during his losing bid for the governorship in 2021.

"Over three tumultuous years, Northam recovered from the scandal to become what Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) calls the most consequential Virginia governor of the modern era," Schneider wrote. "Northam led a Democratic majority in the General Assembly to abolish the death penalty, expand access to the vote, legalize marijuana and pass a long list of other changes, large and small." 

"Northam’s rebirth is as unlikely a story as any you might find in today’s polarized world of instant cancellation," he added. "It was driven partly by an extraordinary effort to connect with Black constituents across Virginia, a process that Northam says broke him down and built him back a better person — more aware of the ugly reality of race in America."

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam answers a reporter's question dealing with the state's COVID-19 updates during a press conference at the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond, Virginia, Nov. 10, 2020. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

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Schnieder wrote that Northam's "comeback" was partially driven by those most insulted by the scandal, such as members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, and their willingness to forgive and move on. 

He went on to praise Northam's rise into the Executive Mansion, as well as his ability to work with Democrats and Republicans to accomplish legislative goals, but cited severe backlash over comments about a late-term abortion bill before the yearbook photo came to light.

"Those who spoke with him in the mad rush that followed describe him as shellshocked, protesting that he didn’t remember the photo," Schneider wrote, before describing meetings he had with Black members of the state legislature to address the photo. 

This image shows Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s page in his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook. The page shows a picture, at right, of a person in blackface and another wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood next to different pictures of the governor. It's unclear who the people in the picture are, but the rest of the page is filled with pictures of Northam and lists his undergraduate alma mater and other information about him. (Eastern Virginia Medical School via AP)

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Schneider wrote that Northam took responsibility for the photo and considered returning to his medical practice, but that after talking with friends and people from the school, decided the labeling of him in the photo had to have been a mistake and that he wasn't going to resign.

"By the end of the next week, Northam made a pledge: He would stay and devote the rest of his term to fighting racial inequity," he added, going on to note Northam's efforts to meet with Black leaders across the state to seek redemption. 

Schnieder then praised actions Northam took when it came to policies on racial issues, such as seeking to remove "racist language" from the state code, forming a commission to review how Black history was taught in schools, and appointing the first cabinet-level diversity officer, among other things. 

Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin speaks during his election night party at a hotel in Chantilly, Virginia, Nov. 3, 2021. (REUTERS/ Jonathan Ernst)

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Schneider then appeared to paint the scandal as a positive thing, citing multiple people who thought that if it never occurred, Northam wouldn't have been as effective a leader.

He continued his praise for Northam's actions in dealing with a number of crises across the state and declared that by the start of the coronavirus pandemic he had found his "new political footing." He later described Northam's political comeback as "incredible."

The Post initially called for Northam's resignation following the scandal, but said in a later editorial that it was "wrong" to do so.

Northam's term as governor ends Saturday, where he will be replaced by Republican Glenn Youngkin after his upset election victory in November.