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Video: ESPN's Linsanely Stupid "Chink In Armor" Headline Gets Criticized, Mocked By SNL
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 19, 2012
Modified Feb 19, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 19, 2012
Modified Feb 19, 2012
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[UPDATE BELOW] Yesterday, ESPN offended a whole lot of people when they published the linsanely racist headline "Chink In The Armor" in reference to Knicks star Jeremy Lin's performance against the New Orleans Hornets Friday night. ESPN has since apologized for the "mistake," but many—including the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)—were less than impressed with their mea culpa. And Saturday Night Live picked up on the controversy in their cold open last night, mercilessly drudging up every terrible Lin pun imaginable.
In reference to the headline, ESPN wrote: “We are conducting a complete review of our cross-platform editorial procedures and are determining appropriate disciplinary action to ensure this does not happen again. We regret and apologize for this mistake.” Rob King, ESPN’s senior vice president for editorial, print and digital media, gave a more heartfelt apology on Twitter: “There’s no defense for the indefensible. All we can offer are our apologies, sincere though incalculably inadequate.”
The AAJA wrote an open letter to ESPN where they called the mistake "inexcusable," and couldn't understand how it made it both to the site and on-air: "We are particularly concerned that an organization as large as yours did not have the proper checks in place to prevent the mistake. It is hard to fathom how editors on so many of your platforms failed to uphold your normally high standards...We understand and appreciate that the offensive headline has been removed. But that's not enough. We would like to understand how it happened and what actions are being taken by ESPN to make sure such missteps do not recur."
ESPN also apologized for anchor Max Bretos, who also used the phrase on-air earlier this week: "an anchor used an inappropriate word in asking a question about Jeremy Lin. ESPN apologizes for the incident, and is taking steps to avoid this in the future."
These incidents weren't the first time stereotypes or outright racism have crept into the media's handling of Lin—from the Jason Whitlock's "inches of pain" tweet to Post's "Amasian!" headline to the MSG Network showing Lin's face over a fortune cookie which read, "The Knicks Good Fortune." Conan O'Brien made fun of that last one in a funny segment featuring rejected racist MSG Jeremy Lin graphics:
Update: ESPN released another statement this morning saying they had fired the ESPN employee responsible for the "Chink In The Armor" headline, and suspended anchor Max Bretos. They add, "We again apologize, especially to Mr. Lin. His accomplishments are a source of great pride to the Asian-American community, including the Asian-American employees at ESPN. Through self-examination, improved editorial practices and controls, and response to constructive criticism, we will be better in the future."
Tagged
basketball
chinksanity
espn
jeremy lin
knicks
linsanity
nba
racism
snl
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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