The Minnesota chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has joined the Asian American Journalists Association in calling on WCCO to apologize for falsely reporting in October that a meat market in New York City’s Chinatown was selling dog meat.
In a statement that called WCCO “woefully unresponsive,” the SPJ blamed the Minneapolis CBS O&O for “perpetuating an unfortunate stereotype.”
“WCCO cannot undo the harm inflicted by airing the story. However, the editors and managers of the station can improve their own credibility and the esteem of all professional journalists by being upfront and transparent from here on out,” the statement reads. “…Not doing so makes it harder for all journalists working to win the respect of the public they serve.”
The original report, which aired on October 31, featured a phone call between reporter James Schugel and an employee at Dak Cheong. Schugel asked if the meat market sold dog meat, and the employee, hearing duck meat, said yes.
“We understand that mistakes happen, but we are disappointed that we have yet to see an explanation from WCCO regarding the report in question, which has since been pulled from the website,” the AAJA statement reads.