The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Hillary Clinton won a historic nomination — but Bill was on the front page

Hillary Clinton accepts a historic nomination at the Democratic National Convention. (John Locher/AP)

On Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton made history when she officially became the first woman to ever top a major party’s presidential ticket.

On Wednesday morning, a slew of major newspapers announced this historic nomination in bold headlines, alongside photographs of … Bill Clinton.

This did not go unnoticed, and plenty of people — journalists and non-journalists alike — took to social media to make it clear that they were dumbfounded and outraged.

The list of offending papers included The Wall Street Journal:

The Chicago Tribune:

The Houston Chronicle:

The Alaska Dispatch News, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Arizona Republic:

And, yes, The Washington Post:

So how to explain this? Well, Hillary Clinton was not actually physically present onstage — though she did appear via live video, very late in the evening. But a live video screen doesn’t make for a great photo opportunity. And Bill Clinton’s speech was clearly the big moment of the night.

Still, those arguments are not likely to satisfy those who can’t fathom how, after a woman makes American history, her husband is the one featured on front pages across the country. Especially considering that some prominent publications managed to find an alternative: The New York Times featured a photo of women cheering and hoisting a victorious sign with the words “GIRL POWER,” and other newspapers settled for the less-than-ideal photo of Hillary on the Jumbotron, or published archival images of the Democratic nominee.

In its later editions, The Wall Street Journal swapped its front-page photo of Bill Clinton for an image of Hillary Clinton on-screen.