However, while Begley was announced as responsible for writing the article, he did not come up with the headline.
It was announced that 28-year-old editor Anthony Federico of ESPN was responsible for following through with the “Chink in the Armor” headline late last week. He said in an apology,
This had nothing to do with me being cute or funny. I’m so sorry if I offended Jeremy.
Federico said he also understood why he was fired, saying that “ESPN did what they had to do.” Unfortunately for him, Federico also openly expressed that he had used the phrase “at least 100 times” in headlines, and did not even realize the potential offense it would cause to the Asian community when he used the phrase on a Lin story.
Federico called Lin one of his heroes - not just because he’s a big Knicks fan, but because he feels a kinship with a fellow “outspoken Christian.”
“My faith is my life,” he said. “I’d love to tell Jeremy what happened and explain that this was an honest mistake.”
California Congresswoman Judy Chu, an Asian American politician, said that “the ‘C’ word is just as bad as the ‘n’ word when it comes to racial slurs, and she isn’t letting ESPN off the hook for using the term to describe NBA breakout star Jeremy Lin.” (New York Daily News). She said Monday that “the use of that term is appalling and offensive” on MSNBC.
While this unfortunately cost Federico’s career, the American audience is now becoming aware of the cultural sensitivity the Asian community faces when it comes to the word “Chink”. It is truly unfortunate that Federico lost his job over something that he did not intend. At least now he understands that the word has serious consequences when used in the wrong context - something many in the American public may not have known, scarily enough. Lin responded to the incident:
I don’t think it was on purpose or whatever, but they have apologized and so from my end I don’t care anymore. Have to learn to forgive and I don’t even think that was intentional. Or hopefully not.
Courtesy of New York Daily News writers Rheana Murray, Irving Dejohn and Helen Kennedy.
