Protest Fox News' airing of racist anti-Asian Watters' World: Chinatown segment

Protest Fox News' airing of racist anti-Asian Watters' World: Chinatown segment

Started
October 6, 2016
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This petition had 24,917 supporters

Why this petition matters

Started by Reappropriate

On Monday, October 3, 2016, Fox News' 'O'Reilly Factor' aired the 5-minute Watters' World: Chinatown video segment featuring correspondent Jesse Watters. The segment has been widely criticized as appallingly anti-Asian and racist

The video contained a flurry of anti-Asian stereotypes, and showed Watters accosting Chinatown residents -- including many English-language limited speakers -- to mock them as foreign, bizarre, and ignorant. After the man-on-the-street portion, Watters and O'Reilly perpetuated Model Minority stereotypes to conclude that the video was "in gentle fun."

There is no humor in unabashed racism. The Asian American Journalists' Association said the segment is "rife with stereotypes." APIAVote calls the segment "racist and derogatory." The National Council for Asian Pacific Americans said, "no person should be used as a prop in such a heartless manner." 

"The segment does nothing more than play up every offensive stereotype of Asian Americans that the community has fought against for decades," said Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

Several elected officials including NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, Senator Daniel Squadron, Congresswoman Grace Meng, Assemblymember Ron Kim, and NYC City Council Member Margaret Chin have also spoken out against the segment. 

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This petition calls on Fox News to:

1. Issue an immediate apology and retraction for the Watters' World: Chinatown segment.

2. Cancel "Watters' World" segments and/or scheduled specials from future broadcast.

3. Agree to a meeting between representatives of the Asian American community and Fox News executives, 'O'Reilly Factor' producers, 'O'Reilly Factor' host Bill O'Reilly and correspondent Jesse Watters to discuss the impact of on-air racism on viewers, as well as to consider next steps to address this issue as well as the broader underrepresentation and misrepresentation of the Asian American community at Fox News. This meeting must take place within 90 days of the segment's original air date (October 3, 2016).

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