Walmart pulls 'Rope. Tree. Journalist.' t-shirt from site

US retailer Walmart has removed a t-shirt from sale after an outcry from members of the press.

The t-shirt featured the words 'Rope. Tree. Journalist. SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED'.

The t-shirt was for sale on Walmart's website by a third-party seller, Teespring.com.

Radio Television Digital News Association Executive Director Dan Shelley sent a letter pointing out that the message sent by the shirts could “at the least … inflame the passions of those who either don’t like, or don’t understand, the news media. At worst, they openly encourage violence targeting journalists.”

It said it received an e-mail less than five hours later, saying the t-shirt had been removed from its website.

Shortly after our Voice of the #FirstAmendment Task Force sent a letter to the company’s top executives, @Walmart removed this violent shirt from its website. https://t.co/finmC8nBgX pic.twitter.com/bKO7gxGnsw

— RTDNA (@RTDNA) November 30, 2017

“We are grateful for Walmart's swift action, but dismayed that it, and anyone else selling the shirt, would offer such an offensive and inflammatory product,” Shelley said.

“We live in an environment in which political and ideological discourse has deteriorated to the level where some find it appropriate to advocate violence targeting journalists merely for performing their Constitutionally-guaranteed duty to seek and report the truth," he added.