The Asian American Journalists Association, a group of more than one thousand professional & aspiring journalists, urged the news media tonight to use caution in reporting on the suspects of the Boston Marathon bombing, reports Rafu Shimpo.
“As we learn more about the brothers who are the focus of the investigation, we caution not only against jumping to conclusions about what role their faith might have had, if any, but also express concern about the news coverage about their background as immigrants,” AAJA President Paul Cheung (pictured here) said in a statement. “The siblings, 19 and 26, reportedly moved to the United States a decade ago.
“It disturbs us that some in the news media have questioned the patriotic allegiance of the brothers’ families. It is unseemly for journalists to subject anyone, immigrant or not, to a loyalty test. Assimilation can be a challenge for immigrants, and we must be careful about potentially demonizing our fellow Americans who face those struggles.”
You can read more about AAJA’s concerns in the Rafu Shimpo.
From @@Tmaythai via Twitter: re: AAJA statement urging caution in news coverage: " Well said. We shouldn't repeat past mistakes of jumping to conclusions & rushing to judgment."