By Yu Zhixiao
The U.S. Cable News Network (CNN) and its commentator Jack Cafferty need to make a sincere apology to all Chinese people for his recent insulting remarks because CNN's earlier statement meant for apology is vague, insufficient and insincere.
In a TV show "The Situation Room" on April 9, Cafferty said the Chinese products are "junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food and export."
"So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed," he continued. "I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years," he said, apparently referring to the Chinese people.
Faced with severe criticism from the Chinese people as well as many others in the world, Cafferty said "I was referring to the Chinese government, and not to Chinese people or to Chinese-Americans" when making the "goons and thugs" comments.
However, when attempting to correct his humiliating comments, Cafferty has got himself into trouble again by targeting the Chinese government after his comments have caused wide criticism and fury.
This only serves to muddy the water further instead of clarifying Cafferty's remarks as it shows his lack of courage to correct his comments and sincerely apologize to the Chinese, whose feelings have been deeply hurt by the comments.
CNN said in a statement Tuesday that "It was not Mr. Cafferty's nor CNN's intent to cause offense to the Chinese people, and CNN would apologize to anyone who has interpreted the comments in this way."
The statement apparently implies that people could also interpret Cafferty's comments otherwise and not have felt insulted. It seemingly hints that the Chinese people possibly have misinterpreted Cafferty's comments.
From CNN's statement, people can hardly find the sincerity of an apology to the Chinese people, but only see a lack of sensitivity to the severe insult and humiliation inflicted on them by Cafferty's remarks.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry lodged a solemn representation with the Beijing office of CNN on Wednesday evening, once again urging CNN and Cafferty to "take back the vile remarks and make a sincere apology to all Chinese people."
People and organizations outside China have also criticized Cafferty's "goons and thugs" comments.
The Legal Immigrant Association, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization aimed at protecting the rights of legal immigrants in the United States, has launched an online petition calling for a formal apology for his "racist and hatred remark on the Chinese people."
"It's not common to witness such a blatant discrimination against an ethnic group of people with such a derogatory connotation in a national TV program," said the petition, which can be found at www.PetitionOnline.com.
CNN appears not to have courage to take back Cafferty's comments, which completely went against the principles of being objective and balanced that the network has all along claimed as its basic standards for news coverage.
Cafferty's comments, which went so far as to slander and make groundless accusation against the people and government of another country, reveal his ignorance and arrogance.
CNN's reluctance to make a sincere apology, however, further betrays some Western media's double standards in news coverage and their deep-rooted bias against China and the Chinese people.
(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2008)