One Cheeky Headline Gets ESPN Management Fired Up

Forums: Sports, In Defense Of Bigotry, Jeremy Lin, P C, Speech Is Free
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ESPN battled Sunday to contain the furor over its tasteless “chink in the armor” Jeremy Lin headline, firing the overnight headline writer and suspending an anchor who said the phrase on air.

“We will be better in the future,” the sports network promised in a statement.

Anchor Max Bretos was suspended for 30 days for an incident Wednesday when he asked Knicks legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier on air about Lin.

“If there is a chink in the armor, where can he improve his game?” Bretos asked.

The question’s wording went almost entirely unnoticed at the time. In video of the moment, Bretos did not appear to be attempting to make a pun.

He tweeted his apologies Saturday, saying he meant no racial reference but would try hard to avoid making the mistake again.

“My wife is Asian, would never intentionally say anything to disrespect her and that community,” Bretos said.

“Despite intention, phrase was inappropriate in this context.”

“My wife is Asian, would never intentionally say anything to disrespect her and that community,” Bretos said.

“Despite intention, phrase was inappropriate in this context.”

Bretos used the phrase on the air last year when talking about the Philadelphia Phillies according to a YouTube video posted by an outraged viewer who appeared not to recognize the not-uncommon expression.

Linsanity - the thrilling saga of the only Asian American in the NBA becoming an overnight superstar - has given rise to a thousand bad puns, but ESPN’s was the worst.

ESPN said the headline - “Chink in the Armor: Jeremy Lin’s 9 Turnovers Cost Knicks in Streak-stopping Loss to Hornets” - appeared on its mobile web at 2:30 a.m. Saturday and was removed by 3:05 a.m.

The network apologized and promised both to conduct “a complete review of our cross-platform editorial procedures” and to mete out punishment.

The unidentified headline writer was canned, ESPN said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/espn-fires-writer-penning-racist-jeremy-lin-headline-suspends-anchor-30-days-article-1.1025351#ixzz1mruEdE4N

Americans are rapidly becoming the dictionary definition of joyless uptight assholes.

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Some news outlets have decided the "chink" is too offensive a word to use in reporting this story

Quote:

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — ESPN fired an employee responsible for an offensive headline about Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin.
The headline Friday on ESPN's mobile website was used for a story about a New York loss in which Lin had nine turnovers. The headline was an idiom that contains a word that also can be used as a slur against Chinese.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/ESPN-fires-employee-for-headline-on-Jeremy-Lin-3342661.php#ixzz1mrw4zON4

Very sad and chuckle worthy at the same time.

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bet he's velly solly he said that

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the language police should be the first against the wall when the revolution comes

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@djjd62,

djjd62 wrote:

bet he's velly solly he said that

I would be more impressed if he was alarmed and offended at how strictly public discourse is policed. We are increasingly a people who can not talk to each other, and who can not deal honestly with reality. We are also beginning to have a lot of trouble finding ways to have fun. America looks more and more like North Korea every day.

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@djjd62,

djjd62 wrote:

the language police should be the first against the wall when the revolution comes

They are really thought police, language policing is simply the tool for the job, and yes you are correct. This is oppression, of the worst sort. The violation of the space between our ears is far worst than is sexual violation, which is what currently throws us into a tizzy. We have got to learn how to prioritize!

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I was surprised, due to the amount of ink Lin was getting about being an Asian, that it took this long for some dweeb to **** up.

Joe(another victim of the 24hour news cycle)Nation

1 Reply

@Joe Nation,

Joe Nation wrote:

I was surprised, due to the amount of ink Lin was getting about being an Asian, that it took this long for some dweeb to **** up.

Joe(another victim of the 24hour news cycle)Nation

Mentioning the race of a person being something that the PC police will not allow unless it is used in a positive reference...It is past time to stand up to these bullies, to reclaim our right to use which ever words we happen to want to use.

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even if the reporter meant it as a clever slur, it's a legitimate phrase and he should be given the benefit of the doubt on this one, i mean he could have said Gooks Goof Skews Hoops

what's really needed is for the broadcasters to stand up to all these coalitions and special interest groups (folks like that fat **** reverend al and his ilk) and stand by their broadcasters

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@hawkeye10,

You guys are way too sensitive about this.

This guy is a headline writer. His job is to write headlines that won't offend anyone. That is what he is paid for. Newspapers exist because they offer up news to the public. Offending any segment of their public is bad for business. That is why they have someone called "overnight headline writer" instead of letting writers write their own headline. This guy obviously failed at his job.

They fired someone because he didn't do his job. So what.

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

maybe people get offended too easily in some situations, this guys headline makes perfect sense and doesn't have to be offensive (unless you make it so), but special interest groups are always looking for a fight and a chance to flex muscles, people need to lighten up a bit

1 Reply

@djjd62,

Maybe you are the special interest group looking for a fight here.

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@maxdancona,

never wrote a letter of complaint (or encouragement for that matter) or boycotted a product, i just think that sometimes the broadcasters go too far to appease, this example is nothing to fire someone over

1 Reply

@djjd62,

I guess when you're managing a broadcast company, you can do it differently.

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@DrewDad,

i certainly would, if more companies stood up to the special interests perhaps we could reach a middle ground on language

1 Reply

@djjd62,

Quote:

i certainly would, if more companies stood up to the special interests perhaps we could reach a middle ground on language

I think you are unclear on the concept. If companies lose too many customers, they cease to exist. Everyone is a special interest-- piss enough groups of people off and you won´t have any customers. Just because you aren´t a fag, nigger hymie or gook doesn´t mean you aren´t a special interest. I am sure there is something about yourself that you appreciate to be treated with a little civility.

If you make money trying to get people to pay attention to you, you either are really careful not to offend anyone unnecessarily or you get run out of business pretty quickly.

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

I think you are unclear on the concept. If companies lose too many customers, they cease to exist. Everyone is a special interest-- piss enough groups of people off and you won´t have any customers. Just because you aren´t a fag, nigger hymie or gook doesn´t mean you aren´t a special interest. I am sure there is something about yourself that you appreciate to be treated with a little civility.

If you make money trying to get people to pay attention to you, you either are really careful not to offend anyone unnecessarily or you get run out of business pretty quickly.

i'm perfectly clear on the concept, i just think this specific example is ridiculous, and ignoring it would have be one step towards stopping the reactionary language police

as for myself, i learned years ago that words don't hurt if you don't let them, and how someone treats me or what they say about me has no bearing on my day to day happiness, something more folks should learn

1 Reply

@djjd62,

Quote:

as for myself, i learned years ago that words don't hurt if you don't let them

You are wrong. Language matters and the words that we as a society use to refer to things matters. Every struggle over civil rights has had a battle over language at it's core. The Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center and other social justice organization remain vigilant in challenging the language used to describe Americans.

Language is key in the battle for social justice. Both sides of the struggle understand this. To pretend it doesn't matter is either cynical or naive.

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@maxdancona,

You've got it.
Language matters.

The pink-skinned shitheads who think they are in control don't get it,

Joe(I'm pink, but I think I do get it)Nation

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@maxdancona,

Quote:

Language POLICING is key in the battle for social justice.

Who the **** gave you the right to try to goose step the rest of us into your egalitarian utopia? If you want to get all prissy with your language I will think less of you but that is your right. However I own my own mouth, and it will produce the words I want it to.

1 Reply

One Cheeky Headline Gets ESPN Management Fired Up

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