By Kenny
(About the Author: Kenny is an AsAmNews reader who contacted us about the slur “Jap” being used as a substitution for Japan during World Cup coverage. This is his story about how he convinced two media outlets to drop the slur).
I have been following the 2015 World Cup and a couple weeks ago I noticed something on Twitter that caught my attention. A sportswriter I follow on Twitter used the hashtag #JAP when reporting on a news conference by the Japanese coach. I tweeted the sportswriter and suggested #JPN as a better choice. She immediately replied thanking me for pointing out her error and that she had edited the tweet. I was pleased because I had informed a person about the derogatory nature of the term and I’m fairly certain she will not use that term again.
A few days ago I was checking Twitter and I saw the following tweet.
Within minutes of @KTVU’s tweet I replied pointing out that “JPN” would be more appropriate and that the International Olympic Committee uses “JPN” to designate Japanese teams.
And then I waited. An hour passes by and I see KTVU’s tweet is still on their timeline. They had not made any tweets in the intervening time and I thought that maybe no one is monitoring their account. So I continued to wait. Finally after over three hours passed since I replied to them I notice KTVU posted a few more tweets. At this point I know someone is active on the account and I would hope they are checking their mentions, but the tweet with the derogatory term remained. I kept hoping to hear from KTVU and for the offending tweet to be deleted or edited but nothing happened. More time passes before I decide to take more action. I recalled that KTVU has a reporter of Japanese decent, Jana Katsuyama, so at about 8:00 PM I emailed and tweeted her. I explained what happened 4 ½ hours earlier and told her I received no response from KTVU and the tweet still had not been deleted. Sometime in the next hour or so KTVU deleted the tweet. Soon after, I received an email from Jana thanking me for pointing out the problem and telling me she had forwarded my email to KTVU’s social media staff and managers. She told me that she understood the hateful nature of the word from personal experience and she assured me that she would follow up with staff the following day.
KTVU is the television station that sparked the Asiana Airlines controversy in July 2013. I realize this hashtag issue is a fairly small matter compared to the Asiana issue, but KTVU most certainly should have acquired more cultural sensitivity since that incident. It is disappointing that a tweet containing a derogatory term was posted and allowed to remain on @KVTU’s timeline for so long.
So now that I have watched the 2015 World Cup final match between the USA and Japan, I’m pleased knowing that I have educated at least a couple of people about using the derogatory term “JAP” and hopefully they will not use the term again in the future. It’s a small thing, but I’ll take it any day.
RE: SF TV station shortens Japan into racial slur during World Cup: Kenny…I totally agree with you!! The use of the derogatory term in reference to JAPANESE people is highly offensive…along with ALL the other derogatory terms used to describe people of other cultures. I can’t even bring myself to use those words as I find them so offensive. The continued use of those words are by ignorant people who can’t get their heads out of the sand and realize that none of the people they are referring to had any responsibility to whatever incidences brought about such hateful terms. Are they all so insecure in themselves that they need to continue to bring others down? Good for you Kenny for stepping up and bringing this continued injustice to the consciousness of others…especially those in the media.