Teh One Who Knocks
03-24-2021, 10:51 AM
By Brian Flood | Fox News
https://i.imgur.com/5KUE9jK.jpg
A Gannett-owned newspaper in New Jersey apologized Monday for publishing an "unapproved and offensive" photo caption commenting on the appearance of a woman with lewd language and an ethnic slur.
New Jersey Globe, a separate website dedicated to news about the Garden State, reported that the image published by the Asbury Park Press was an Orthodox woman nurse captioned, "A f-----g hot nurse, a total JAP, loads a syringe with a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine."
The staffer who wrote the offensive caption is no longer employed by the paper. Asbury Park Press and APP.com executive editor Paul D’Ambrosio issued an apology on behalf of the company.
"Late on March 20, a photo ran on APP.com with an unapproved and offensive caption. The photo was removed March 21 as soon as it was brought to our attention," D’Ambrosio wrote. "I apologize deeply to women, the Lakewood Jewish community (where the photo was taken), all members of the Jewish faith, the Asian American community and all our readers."
Parent company Gannett also condemned the caption, calling it "completely unacceptable" and saying it doesn't coincide with company principles and practices.
"The words in the caption were totally unacceptable and in no way reflect the principles and practices of the staff of the Press and Gannett. The Press and Gannett have a long history of fighting for inclusiveness, diversity and women’s rights," D’Ambrosio continued. "We took immediate and significant action once we became aware of the issue, and we changed our online procedures to ensure such an event never happens again."
D’Ambrosio followed up his apology with a column that explained how the offensive caption made it onto the paper's website in the first place.
"Our reporters and photographers can file their images directly into the system, ensuring that breaking news can get to readers as quickly as possible. The usual safeguards involve an editor or digital producer reading the story and captions before publication," he explained.
"But the system does allow staffers to publish directly to our website and mobile app. We trust the professionalism of our employees and know speed can be important when covering breaking news. This system has been in use for nearly a decade, and across our suite of 250-plus publications, we have not had a similar incident to this one," D’Ambrosio continued, noting that photos will not be published without a second set of eyes looking it over going forward.
"The words were offensive to women, the Jewish community and Lakewood, and included a slang term that was simultaneously offensive to Jews and Asian Americans. I thought someone had hacked our content management system. In reality, it was a reporter who admitted that he did a ‘stupid, stupid thing,’" D’Ambrosio wrote. "The reporter in question is no longer with the company."
The reporter also issued an apology: "I’ve prided myself as a man who has been an advocate and supporter of women’s rights and cultural sensitivity, but this caption shows that I have plenty of work to do to address my own issues to make sure that my words and actions always treat others with respect."
https://i.imgur.com/5KUE9jK.jpg
A Gannett-owned newspaper in New Jersey apologized Monday for publishing an "unapproved and offensive" photo caption commenting on the appearance of a woman with lewd language and an ethnic slur.
New Jersey Globe, a separate website dedicated to news about the Garden State, reported that the image published by the Asbury Park Press was an Orthodox woman nurse captioned, "A f-----g hot nurse, a total JAP, loads a syringe with a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine."
The staffer who wrote the offensive caption is no longer employed by the paper. Asbury Park Press and APP.com executive editor Paul D’Ambrosio issued an apology on behalf of the company.
"Late on March 20, a photo ran on APP.com with an unapproved and offensive caption. The photo was removed March 21 as soon as it was brought to our attention," D’Ambrosio wrote. "I apologize deeply to women, the Lakewood Jewish community (where the photo was taken), all members of the Jewish faith, the Asian American community and all our readers."
Parent company Gannett also condemned the caption, calling it "completely unacceptable" and saying it doesn't coincide with company principles and practices.
"The words in the caption were totally unacceptable and in no way reflect the principles and practices of the staff of the Press and Gannett. The Press and Gannett have a long history of fighting for inclusiveness, diversity and women’s rights," D’Ambrosio continued. "We took immediate and significant action once we became aware of the issue, and we changed our online procedures to ensure such an event never happens again."
D’Ambrosio followed up his apology with a column that explained how the offensive caption made it onto the paper's website in the first place.
"Our reporters and photographers can file their images directly into the system, ensuring that breaking news can get to readers as quickly as possible. The usual safeguards involve an editor or digital producer reading the story and captions before publication," he explained.
"But the system does allow staffers to publish directly to our website and mobile app. We trust the professionalism of our employees and know speed can be important when covering breaking news. This system has been in use for nearly a decade, and across our suite of 250-plus publications, we have not had a similar incident to this one," D’Ambrosio continued, noting that photos will not be published without a second set of eyes looking it over going forward.
"The words were offensive to women, the Jewish community and Lakewood, and included a slang term that was simultaneously offensive to Jews and Asian Americans. I thought someone had hacked our content management system. In reality, it was a reporter who admitted that he did a ‘stupid, stupid thing,’" D’Ambrosio wrote. "The reporter in question is no longer with the company."
The reporter also issued an apology: "I’ve prided myself as a man who has been an advocate and supporter of women’s rights and cultural sensitivity, but this caption shows that I have plenty of work to do to address my own issues to make sure that my words and actions always treat others with respect."