Bias in the Time of Coronavirus
As of Feb 3, there are over 20,000 confirmed cases, more than 23,000 suspected cases and over 400 deaths in China. Confirmed cases are found in every province of China.
It has become my daily routine to check the latest updates, first thing in the morning.
When I got a chance to check the latest edition of the Economist, I was hoping to find insightful reports of the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. Prior to that, I, like millions of the Chinese people, had lived through a most dreadful Lunar New Year that was filled with fear, sorrow and anger.
But what did I find?
Yes, I hear you, editors of the Economist. China is making the world sick. I am sorry. We are sorry.
Yes, I understand that you have to reuse the cover picture in the Leaders section, to emphasize that it’s our fault. I also find it not inappropriate at all that you call the disease “Wuhan virus” instead of “Coronavirus”, of course you are being considerate and don’t want to hurt the innocent beer company. And finally, I have never enjoyed your little jokes more. “Made in China”, charming.
As a long time (since 2014) reader of the Economist magazine, I am used to its sharp tones. Could it be that I am too sensitive this time? So I searched on the Economist’s website to find how they presented Ebola and SARS.
There was one cover featuring SARS in 2003 and one cover featuring Ebola in 2014. And they look like this:
I felt utterly sad to compare all these three cover pictures. When it comes to Ebola, it is human beings united to fight the war (which I think is one of the right perspectives to uncover the story). When it comes to SARS or Coronavirus, it is either political propaganda or China exporting virus.
If you still don’t get it, try imagining a cover picture in which one of your country’s presidents wearing a mask, besides a title that says “Will this become XXX’s YYY”, with XXX being your country and YYY being your most feared disaster. Do you feel you and your fellow people can be summarized and represented by one president? Do you feel that the title is informative or helpful at such a time of emergency?
However, my personal feelings do not matter. What matters is why this is WRONG.
First, there is little, if not none, respect for life or compassion for suffering. We are treated as representatives of the virus, rather than victims. The “made in China” phrase is especially disturbing: is it a hint of the conspiracy theories already circulating that the virus is actually MADE in China? Will any readers find the conspiracy theories more convincing after they see this phrase?
Second, materials like this encourage misunderstanding and discrimination. Incidents of bias, xenophobia, and even physical violence have already happened globally since the outbreak of Coronavirus, from a street in Berlin to a university in the US (aka UC Berkeley). No responsible media organizations should be joining this trend.
Here is what I want to say to the Economist, and probably all the reporters:
Biases are more likely to be spotted in some cases than others. China, as the 2nd largest economy in the world, can hardly be “protected” by any “political correctness”. It simply does not look like a bully victim. But, it is the people who are experiencing the ups and downs, the tears and laughs. It is never all about politics or economics.
We are all equally vulnerable in the face of disasters.
If you can’t use “African Ebola” because you know that is discriminating and misleading, and that you will likely be criticized for doing so, you should not use “Wuhan Coronavirus”, for the exact same reason.
If you can’t use “Out of Africa” to describe Ebola, you can’t use “Made in China” as well, for the exact same reason.
I always appreciated the witty bravery that the Economist had demonstrated. You have criticized almost every politician and government that I know, (good job, by the way) in blunt or sarcastic ways. That is the reason for your existence, where your value lies and your responsibility holds. But in the time of a humanitarian crisis, shouldn’t we pay more attention to the people who are actually suffering or even sacrificing, give a voice to the unheard, and give a hand to the helpless?
Finally, I would also like to share a tweet by the World Health Organization.
We are not cultural or political stereotypes. We are the very same human beings.
Wuhan is not the name of a virus. It is home to over 10 million people.
Footnote
Below is a link to a video showing the city of Wuhan. The song’s name is “Here”. The accompanying musical instrument is Gu Qin, a traditional Chinese instrument with over 3,000 years of history.
Disclaimer:
All the images can be found on the Economist’s website. You do not need to log in to see them.
I am not targeting on the Economist. It surely is not the most biased media out there, but it happens to be the one that I frequently read and really liked.
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