Mainstream Media Failed to Cover Palm Sunday Massacre of Nigerian Christians

After the Palm Sunday and Holy Week attacks on Nigerian Christians, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, issued the following statement:

“As Christians in Nigeria observe Holy Week and approach Easter Sunday, a time of profound spiritual reflection and celebration, I urge the Government of Nigeria to take immediate and concrete steps to ensure the safety and security of all Christian communities in the country. This includes deploying adequate security forces and holding perpetrators to account.”

U.S. Republican lawmakers have spoken out about the massacre of Christians in Nigeria. However, the U.S. mainstream media have largely failed to cover the Palm Sunday and Holy Week attacks on Christians in Nigeria, with the exception of The New York Times, which used the occasion to highlight rare reprisals by Christians against Fulani militias. The paper also used the opportunity to deny the Christian genocide and to attack U.S. lawmakers who have spoken out in defense of Christians in Nigeria.

On Palm Sunday, several Christian communities in the area around Jos in Plateau State, Nigeria, were attacked by Muslim extremists. Unlike previous attacks, however, the violence continued into Holy Week, with the death toll reaching at least 53. Observers on the ground report that tensions remain high and that further violence remains likely.

The attacks formed part of a broader escalation of violence across the region that left nearly 100 people dead within a week. The violence continued in Kaduna State, where gunmen attacked a wedding in Kahir village, killing at least 13 people and abducting several others in another predominantly Christian area.

Earlier in the week, militants attacked St. James the Great Catholic Church in Taraba State, causing widespread destruction and triggering mass displacement. More than 90,000 Christians fled the area as militants advanced deeper into southern Taraba despite prior warnings.

Christians in Nigeria have faced sustained violence since the 1990s, with the situation intensifying after the emergence of Boko Haram in 2009. More than 52,000 Christians have been killed between 2009 and 2023.

One would think the Palm Sunday attack would be considered a newsworthy event, but it went unnoticed by ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN.

ABC News covered violence in Nigeria extensively in February 2026, including the Kwara State massacre, U.S. airstrikes, and military deployments, but a search of their site returns no coverage of the Palm Sunday, March 29, 2026, attacks.

CBS News shows the same pattern. It covered Nigeria in December 2025 with the Christmas Day U.S. airstrikes and in November 2025 with the schoolgirl abductions. No results for the Palm Sunday 2026 attack appear on their site.

NBC News has no coverage of the Palm Sunday 2026 attack in Jos. Its most recent Nigeria coverage includes the November 2025 church livestream attack and the Christmas Day 2025 U.S. airstrikes.

CNN has no coverage of the Palm Sunday 2026 Jos attack. Its most recent coverage related to Christianity in Nigeria was a December 2025 explainer, which claimed that President Trump was mistaken when he said there is a Christian genocide taking place in Nigeria.

The New York Times published a piece headlined “Palm Sunday Attack in Nigeria Leaves at Least 12 Dead.” However, in reporting on the massacre in Jos, the Times accused Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Riley Moore, of “falsely claiming” there is an ongoing genocide against Christians in Nigeria.

The Times also focused on the repercussions faced by Muslims rather than on the Christian victims, writing, “In the hours after the attack, two witnesses who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said local youth began to block major roads and target individuals perceived to be Fulani, an ethnic group that is predominantly Muslim.”

The framing suggests the Times is blaming Christians for the violence while ignoring the thousands of Christians who have been killed or abducted over the past year. The Times went as far as attacking those who have spoken out in support of Christians in Nigeria, writing, “Representative Riley Moore of West Virginia is one of several U.S. congressmen who have falsely claimed that there is a Christian genocide happening in Nigeria.”

Hungarian Conservative condemned the New York Times story, and Rep. Riley Moore, on X, called it an “anti-Christian hit.”

Outspoken conservative Catholic bishop Robert Barron wrote on X:

“I’m happy to share this post by my friend Rep. Riley Moore. Both Congressman Moore and I have been following for some time the story of the brutal anti-Christian persecution underway in Nigeria. To suggest, as The New York Times does, that these attacks are not motivated fundamentally by anti-Christian animus is simply absurd. I suppose the editors of the paper of record feel that it was just an odd coincidence that a purportedly ‘tribal’ and ‘economically motivated’ assault took place on Palm Sunday. Anyone who studies these murders, which have taken place over many decades, and fails to see an anti-religious pattern is blind.”

 

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