HomeAsian AmericansWashington Post use of racial slur corrected
Don't Be Fooled by Gift Card Scams

Washington Post use of racial slur corrected

Yao Ming bad headline

 

By Ed Diokno
 
No Really?
 
Which Washington Post copy editor wrote this headline and what editor allowed it to go online?
 
Do we attribute this to an East Coast bias for journalists who are not used to seeing or hanging out with a lot of Asian Americans?
 
Imagine if the racial slur for African Americans – the dreaded N-word – was used instead of the derogatory slur against Chinese? Can you imagine the uproar from the community and the heads rolling at the Washington Post?
 
I’ve worked on the Rim and I’ve worked as the Slot in mainstream newsrooms. If I, as a copyeditor on the Rim wrote a headline like that, I’d get a terse email from the Slot or get taken to the hallway for a brief finger-wagging lecture on racial sensitivity.
 
What can you expect from a city that allows its NFL franchise use a racial slur for its mascot? That’s why publishers and editors should try even harder to get minorities in their newsrooms. In this day and age, a gaffe such as this one is inexcusable.
 
At any rate, SOMEBODY complained. Perhaps the author, herself, Yanan Wong. Shortly after the April 5 headline appeared, the headline was changed to something more acceptable.
 
The corrected headline appears below.
 
Yao Ming corrected headline
(Ed Diokno writes a blog :Views From The Edge: news and analysis from an Asian American perspective.)
 
(AsAmNews is an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. You can show your support by liking our Facebook page at  www.facebook.com/asamnews, following us on Twitter and sharing our stories.)

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest

Worth the Time

Must Read

Regular Features

Latest

Discover more from AsAmNews

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading