I am a Chinese resident who lives in the Lower Mainland. Yesterday, a newspaper “The Province” named a title “2nd China virus case in B.C”. It is like a bombshell in Vancouver’s Chinese community, everyone is pissed.
Here’s a public message from the Chinese community to express their feelings:
On the front page of your paper today, you use huge block letter of CHINA VIRUS.
This is very insensitive and plainly not proper headline. WHO, Canadian and Provincial authorities are all referring this virus as novel coronavirus, so there is an official name to this virus that you should be using.
H1N1 influenza virus was first found in the United States, and we never refer to the virus as American or US virus; Zika virus was first found in Brazil, and we never call it Brazilian virus; Ebola virus originated from Congo, and we never say it is Congo virus. Your choice of words calling it China virus is simply wrong and not in accordance with Canadian values, not up to Canadian journalism ethic standard.
I strongly urge you to withdraw such words, stop calling the novel coronavirus China virus, and make an apology for this insensitive choice of words.
- Anonymous
