New Jersey Newspaper Apologizes for ‘Unapproved, Offensive’ Photo Caption

The executive editor of the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey apologized Monday for a photo caption that included lewd language and an ethnic slur on a story about coronavirus vaccinations.

“The caption under a photo of an Orthodox woman nurse at the Center for Health Education, Medicine and Dentistry in Lakewood said: ‘A fucking hot nurse, a total JAP, loads a syringe with a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 [Chinese coronavirus] vaccine,'” the New Jersey Globe reported.

JAP is an acronym for “Jewish American Princess” and is unrelated to the pejorative term for ethnic Japanese, though the spelling is the same.

According to Executive Editor Paul D’Ambrosio, the photo was posted with the unapproved caption and taken down “as soon as it was brought to our attention,” the outlet continued.

On Tuesday, the Press reportedly fired Gustavo Martínez Contreras, the photographer who allegedly wrote the caption.

“The reporter in question is no longer with the company,” D’Ambrosio told the Globe.

In his statement following the incident, the executive editor wrote, “I apologize deeply to women, the Lakewood Jewish community (where the photo was taken), all members of the Jewish faith, the Asian American community and all our readers”:

The words in the caption were totally unacceptable and in no way reflect the principles and practices of the staff of the Press and Gannett. The Press and Gannett have a long history of fighting for inclusiveness, diversity and women’s rights. We took immediate and significant action once we became aware of the issue, and we changed our online procedures to ensure such an event never happens again.

D’Ambrosio later explained how the caption ended up online and notified readers of the checks put in place.

“It was on the last of 22 photos, and no second set of eyes had reviewed the images. The late hour and the self-publication led the story to blend in with the dozens of other stories on the site without the proper safety checks,” he wrote.

“On Monday, I instructed our staff to always put two sets of eyes on each piece of content, including stories and photos. No photo and caption will be published without another staffer looking it over, regardless of the time of day,” D’Ambrosio stated.

He also shared the former employee’s apology.

“I’ve prided myself as a man who has been an advocate and supporter of women’s rights and cultural sensitivity, but this caption shows that I have plenty of work to do to address my own issues to make sure that my words and actions always treat others with respect,” Martínez Contreras wrote.