Fox News Chinatown Segment Faces Backlash Over Racism

People call out Fox News segment on Chinatown for being racist.

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People are outraged at a Fox News segment in New York’s Chinatown, calling it racist. The segment, in which people are asked about the election, aired as a part of Tuesday’s O’Reilly Factor. Racist bits in the segment included asking men if they know karate and "jokes" like “Do they call Chinese food in China just food?”

O’Reilly correspondent Jesse Watters set out to Chinatown for his ‘Watters World’ segment, armed with hard-hitting questions about Donald Trump and China’s relationship with the U.S. In between questions, a clip of Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid was shown. Miyagi was played by Pat Morita who was Japanese American, not Chinese. When Watters isn’t putting people on blast for not speaking English, or for not speaking English with an American accent, the host is saying things like, “Tell me what's not made in China.”

Watters has since tweeted the segment was meant to be “light” and “tongue-in-cheek” but added, “I regret if anyone found offense.”

As a political humorist, the Chinatown segment was intended to be a light piece, as all Watters World segments are.
My man-on-the-street interviews are meant to be taken as tongue-in-cheek and I regret if anyone found offense.

The Asian American Journalists Association asked for an apology for the segment it described as “rude, offensive, mocking, derogatory and damaging.” In a statement AAJA said, “It’s 2016. We should be far beyond tired, racist stereotypes and targeting an ethnic group for humiliation and objectification on the basis of their race. Sadly, Fox News proves it has a long way to go in reporting on communities of color in a respectful and fair manner." The organization added, “Fox missed a real opportunity to investigate the Asian American vote, a topic not often covered in mainstream news.”

This is far from the only recent controversy about Asian representation on television. Earlier this year, Chris Rock made a joke about Asians at the Oscars, bringing three Asian children to the stage and introducing them as the accountants that helped count Oscar ballots.  

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