New York Post Apologizes for Erroneously Reporting Assassination Attempt Suspect as a Chinese Man
Pingping YinWASHINGTON – Three days after it erroneously reported the assassination attempt suspect toward former President Donald Trump as a “Chinese man,” the New York Post apologized in an editor's note.
“In a version of this article on July 13, the Post erroneously reported that the shooter was a Chinese man, based on wrong information we obtained from sources. We quickly corrected the mistake. We sincerely apologize for the error,” the New York Post’s editor added in a note at the bottom of the updated article, which now identified the gunman as a “white male.”
The apology followed numerous requests from Asian American elected officials at all levels, from federal to local, demanding an apology.
“The New York Post should apologize for its erroneous reporting and implement editorial controls to prevent such mistakes in the future,” said Congresswoman Judy Chu(D-CA) in an exclusive interview with Yuan Media.
Rep. Chu is the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress. Serving in Congress since 2009, Chu has consistently stood firm in her support of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities both on Capitol Hill and beyond.
Over the past three days, many New York state elected officials from the Asian American community, including State Senator Iwen Chu, State Assemblymember Lester Chang, and New York City Council member Susan Zhuang, have contacted the New York Post to express their anger through phone calls and emails.
Legislators from other states with significant Asian American populations, such as California State Assemblymember Evan Low, have also called for an apology on social media platforms like X.
Chinese American New Yorkers played a significant role in securing the correction and apology from New York City’s conservative tabloid.
On Saturday night, Queenie Ho, a Chinese community activist in New York City, was among the first community members to call Joe Marino, the New York Post reporter who identified the gunman as a "Chinese man." The newspaper corrected the mistake after Ho’s call but did not issue an apology that day.
On Monday, several Chinese community leaders held a press conference in New York City’s Chinatown to request a formal apology from the New York Post.
Meanwhile, Asian American organizations nationwide, such as the Committee of 100, United Chinese Americans, and The Asian American Foundation, released statements and open letters calling for an apology from the New York Post.
According to Michael Conway, a retired lawyer who represented journalists and media organizations such as Dow Jones & Company, Inc., The New York Times, ABC, and the Chicago Tribune during his legal career, the New York Post wouldn’t have any legal liability for its erroneous reporting because it didn’t identify a particular person.
“Legally, they don’t have to apologize,” Conway said, but he added that they should issue a correction explaining why the mistake was made at the minimum.
The outcome was better than he had expected. Under continuous pressure from the Asian American community, the New York Post eventually apologized for its error three days later.
