Mothership lets a racial slur slip in a headline on its mobile browser

ESPN hired the clown who wrote that, then they pin it all on one moron.
An institutional stupidity has been going on there long before this incident.

 

I'm not going to feel too sorry for that person. They're not making him/her the fall-guy for someone else's mistake.

I'll grant that, especially overnight, there probably isn't the best system of checks in place to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen.

But, like I said, the person who wrote the headline was the one who got punished for it. I can't fault the network for that.

 

I can see how "Chick in the armor" can be construed as racist, when published in a headline that someone clearly gave some thought to (or at least should have).

But I'd give the anchor a pass...he was winging a question, and, when you think about it, "chink in the armor" is such a common phrase that it's easy to see how he could have said it.

Also, when not used on purpose, it's not like "chink in the armor" is inherently racist, as "chink" when used in this manner in no way refers to a person of Chinese heritage; according to the dictionary its meaning is "crevice" or "crack."

 

On Sportscenter, yes.

On ESPN News I can't say for sure, but I suspect not. Haven't watched it in a while, but I believe the anchors stay in the chair for a while. I suspect they're reading a lot of it cold.

 

But was the anchor's use during highlights? I was under the impression it was in the middle of an interview. That makes all the difference in the world.

 

This. I'm not sure which is worse: accidentally or on purpose, but either is a job-ending mistake.

 

The good news is, the person who wrote that ESPN headline can still apply for a job at Fox, because apparently they don't have standards when it comes to dispensing racist and/or ignorant garbage.
(Still trying to understand how Whitlock wasn't suspended.)

 

There's no wiggle room on "chink"

I hate when people get fired, but it seems pretty deserved in this case.

 

Didn't the Rockets fire a play by play guy for calling Yao a Chinaman?

I can defend that. You can't defend Chink.

 

Oh, I agree.
I'm just wondering about the wiggle room that goes with writing about a player's genitals based on a racial stereotype. Never ever ever ever would most journalists get away with that.