Washington Post use of racial slur corrected

NO. REALLY?

Which Washington Post copy editor wrote this headline and what editor allowed it to go online?

Do we attribute this to an East Coast bias for journalists who are not used to seeing or hanging out with a lot of Asian/Americans?

Imagine if the racial slur for African/Americans - the dreaded N-word - was used instead of the derogatory slur against Chinese? Can you imagine the uproar from the community and the heads rolling at the Washington Post?

I've worked on the Rim and I've worked as the Slot in mainstream newsrooms. If I, as a copyeditor on the Rim wrote a headline like that, I'd get a terse email from the Slot or get taken to the hallway for a brief finger-wagging lecture on racial sensitivity.

What can you expect from a city that allows its NFL franchise use a racial slur for its mascot? That's why publishers and editors should try even harder to get minorities in their newsrooms. In this day and age, a gaffe such as this one is inexcusable.

At any rate, SOMEBODY complained. Perhaps the author, herself, Yanan Wong. Shortly after the April 5 headline appeared, the headline was changed to something more acceptable.