NEW YORK (Oct. 25, 2017) — Representatives of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations met with Fox News executives today to present a community letter signed by 134 national, state and local AAPI organizations and allies, as well as a petition with nearly 24,000 signatures, in response to the racist “Watters World: Chinatown Edition” segment that aired on The O’Reilly Factor earlier this month.
The 134 organizations expressed their continued outrage over the perpetuation of racist stereotypes and pushed for more representation of AAPIs in Fox News coverage. The letter asks for a written apology, a commitment to diversity and sensitivity training, and news programming that will educate viewers on the AAPI electorate. Additionally, it urges Fox News to increase its number of AAPI guests and for Fox News senior executives to continue this important dialogue through regular meetings with AAPI leaders.
“We are pleased to have had the opportunity to present our letter directly to Fox News executives in a productive meeting today,” said NCAPA National Director Christopher Kang. “The outpouring of support for this call to action–from across the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, including many student organizations, and beyond–is a powerful demonstration of the widespread outrage and hurt this racist segment has caused.”
“We appreciate the opportunity to meet with Fox News today,” said Karin Wang, Vice-President of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles. “The segment clearly struck a nerve with Asian Americans of all ethnic backgrounds and reached far beyond New York City. We have conveyed this widespread and national anger and frustration to Fox News executives and we look forward to their response.”
“Many Asian Americans and our allies were hurt and angered by Watters’ segment,” said Jenn Fang of Reappropriate. “It was deeply humbling to be able to provide a platform by which those thousands–perhaps even millions–of voices could directly reach representatives of Fox News. I sincerely hope that today’s events lay the groundwork for a fruitful and lasting conversation between Fox News and the AAPI community on issues of inclusion and diversity.”
Read the letter here.
Today’s meeting was facilitated by the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and hosted by the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). New York Assemblymember Ron Kim (District 40) and representatives from OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates and its New York chapter also attended.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of five leading organizations advocating for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities to promote a fair and equitable society for all. The affiliation’s members are: Advancing Justice – AAJC (Washington, D.C.), Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, Advancing Justice – Atlanta, Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco), and Advancing Justice – Chicago.
