In case you missed it, last week's edition of the Philadelphia Public Record ran a photo of Asian American community members with a caption that included racist made-up names, including "Chinky Winky" and "Dinky Doo." The paper has since issued an apology, and the editor responsible for the slurs has been fired.
Newspaper Employee Fired for "Chinky Winky" and "Dinky Doo" Asian Slurs
The photo, taken at a political fundraiser in Chinatown for City Councilman Mark Squilla, identified the people in the photo as "Feng Chen, Xiao Ting, Guang Zhou Yiyao Rong, Hao Hello, Guang Zhou, Mark Squilla, Yiyao Zhao, Du Wei, Me Too, Chinky Winky and Dinky Doo." I'm fairly certain that, aside from the councilman's, every single one of those names is made up.
Jimmy Tayoun, publisher of the Public Record, says he has fired the employee responsible for writing the racial slurs. Good riddance. The paper also issued the following apology on its website:
OUR APOLOGY
In our Aug. 21, 2014 issue an offensive slur was accidentally published in the Philadelphia Public Record. This shocking lapse of professional conduct occurred contrary to our editorial directives and in no way reflects the views of our staff or our organization.
An internal investigation is underway to uncover the source of this intolerable abuse and to prevent it from ever happening again. We apologize whole-heartedly to the Asian American community and to all Philadelphians of this vibrant, diverse city who work together to make it the best place in America to live and to grow.
Funny, I seem to recall Tayoun initially insisting last week that there was "no prejudice or bigotry" involved with this incident. It went from being a mere "proofreading error" to a fire-able offense. I guess when people threaten to boycott a newspaper's advertisers, you start seeing proofreading errors a little differently.
More here: Tayoun changes tune on Public Record's "Chinky Winky" photo caption
