CTV fires journalist after outrage over coronavirus tweet
As xenophobic and racist sentiments against Chinese Canadians continue to see an uptick in the face of the coronavirus, one Canadian journalist has lost his job following an offensive tweet.
Peter Akman, an investigative journalist with CTV News, has been under fire for a tweet he posted after getting a haircut earlier this week.
A spokesperson for Bell Media confirms that Peter Akman, one of the presenters of CTV's investigative news show W5, is no longer with the company. He tweeted this four days ago. pic.twitter.com/DEtb1ONb9I
— Sean Craig 🍞📈 (@sdbcraig) January 30, 2020
"Hopefully ALL I got today was a haircut," he wrote alongside a photo of his barber who appeared to be of Asian descent and was wearing a protective face mask.
He added the hashtags "#CoronavirusOutbreak" and "#CoronavirusToronto."
Akman's tweet was quickly met with outrage and upset, with many saying it was racist, offensive and irresponsible.
He has since deleted the tweet and issued an apology, though some are saying it's not exactly convincing.
My tweet earlier today was insensitive.
— Peter Akman (@PeterAkman) January 26, 2020
My barber told me he was offering everyone masks.
I apologize for any offence I may have caused.
"Apologize to your barber," one Twitter user wrote. "A journalist should know better the effect of inflammatory cheap shots at your target/subject/object."
"'I apologize for any offence I may have caused' is a hedged, conditional apology," another wrote. "Lazy and cowardly."
Yesterday, journalist Sean Craig confirmed that Akman is no longer with CTV.
"A spokesperson for Bell Media confirms that Peter Akman, one of the presenters of CTV's investigative news show W5, is no longer with the company," he wrote on Twitter. "He tweeted this four days ago."
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