The Hill published a story Thursday about bipartisan support for a ban on Chinese 'wet markets.' The story has an anti-Chinese sentiment at a time when Chinese-Americans and Asian-Americans in general are facing discrimination during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Hills' story paints a picture of disgusting wet markets in China that need to be banned, when in reality, the bipartisan effort was to get The World Health Orginization to ban wet markets globally.
The story quotes a letter from Sens. Lindsey Graham and Chris Coons in which they wrote "It is well documented that wet markets in China have been the source of a number of worldwide health problems, and their operation should cease immediately so as to protect the Chinese people and the international community from additional health risks."
The only evidence that supports this statement is that the 2003 SARS outbreak is also believed to be linked to a wet market.
The story does not refute any claims made by the senators or look at any other countries with wet markets. The writing and word choice lead us to believe China is a disease-ridden country and they are the problem.
Any story that points fingers at the diets or customs of a culture as the problem usually has a racial overtone.
If the reporter had taken a look at wet markets around the globe or how a lack of laws regulating such markets may be the problem, then the story may have appeared less biased.
No comments:
Post a Comment