Media Outlets Criticized for Using Photos of Asians, Chinatown In Coronavirus Articles

Asian people and businesses have experienced increased discrimination since virus was first reported on.

Getty Images
Getty Images

Multiple media outlets are being called out for using images of Asian people and Chinatown in articles pertaining to the coronavirus in New York or other U.S. cities.

According to an NBC News report, The New York Times, the New York Post and The Hill have all used photos of Asian individuals wearing masks in reports about coronavirus cases in New York, even though the races of residents who have tested positive for the virus have not been disclosed.  

Senior members of the Times’ and The Hill’s staff have since addressed the photo choices. 

"We've published hundreds of stories on the coronavirus, and each one requires an image," New York Times vice president of communications Danielle Rhoades Ha, said in an email. "In this case, the image selection was an oversight that was addressed quickly."

“We also emailed the newsroom about photo selection on stories while adding new photos of coronavirus from multiple countries," The Hill's editor-in-chief, Bob Cusack told NBC Asian America in an email. He added that they replaced the photo in the article and deleted its corresponding tweet. 

The New York Post’s tweet about the city’s first coronavirus case is still published on its account. People pointed out that even though the tweet copy itself says the first identified case is in Manhattan, the photo is of Chinatown in another borough, Queens. In businesses in the Chinatown neighborhood in Manhattan, the largest in the world, restaurants are reportedly losing 50% of their business because of coronavirus fears.

Unfair discrimination against Asian people in the wake of the coronavirus isn’t unique to New York — Los Angeles and London Chinatown establishments have reported a decline in business since the coronavirus began to spread as well. 

A separate issue is the racism directed at Asian people and people of Asian descent, who are also experiencing increased public aggression.

Comedians and Twitter users have been making a point to call out the xenophobia that has increased in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus.

The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) has released guidelines for media outlets to use to ensure an accurate and fair portrayal of China and Asian Americans while reporting on the coronavirus.

One of the guidelines addresses the use of Chinatown imagery in stories about the virus. AAJA advises, “Only include images of a local Chinatown if it is directly related to a news story, not as a way to illustrate the virus. The images are appropriate, for example, if the story is about Chinatown businesses emptying out over fears of the virus, or if there are potential cases stemming from a particular Chinatown. AAJA warns against blanket use of Chinatown images that reinforce stereotypes and create a sense of ‘otherness.’”

Though the coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, it has since spread to more than 70 countries around the world.