Queens politicians condemn New York Post image
of Flushing amid coronavirus case in Manhattan
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | MARCH 6-MARCH 12, 2020 5
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Queens politicians are calling
out the New York Post for
using a misleading photo of
Flushing Main Street, where
the population is mostly Asian,
to aid a story about the first
case of coronavirus that was
reported in Manhattan.
State Senator Toby Ann
Stavisky condemned the tweet
sent out by the New York Post
Sunday night. The tweet used
a picture of an Asian man in
Flushing, while linking to an
article about a coronavirus
case in Manhattan.
“Posting a picture of an
Asian man in Flushing,
Queens, while reporting about
a confirmed case in Manhattan
is troubling,” Stavisky said
on Twitter. “This does nothing
but further the misconceptions
that are hurting many people
and businesses in my district.”
On Sunday, Gov. Andrew
Cuomo said that a 39-year-old
woman, who lives in Manhattan,
contracted the virus while
in Iran. According to Cuomo,
the woman is currently isolated
in her home, saying, “She’s not
in serious condition, but does
have respiratory symptoms.”
Following the use of the image
from the New York Post,
many Twitter users expressed
anger and said the photo perpetuates
fearmongering and
discrimination against the
Asian American community.
Councilman Peter Koo also
took to Twitter, saying, “This
pic is Flushing, not Manhattan.
A reminder: viruses are colorblind.”
Councilmember Barry Grodenchik
also commented on
Twitter.
“I appreciate the story about
#Coronavirus but what is with
the picture? Main St. in #Flushing
is a long way from #Manhattan.”
Amid the coronavirus scare,
Congresswoman Grace Meng,
first vice chair of the Congressional
Asian Pacific American
Caucus (CAPAC), is urging other
members of congress to help
stop the spread of xenophobia
and misinformation related to
the coronavirus by only sharing
confirmed and verifiable
information about the illness.
This includes information
on how the virus spreads and
how Americans should protect
themselves.
“The coronavirus is a menace
to public health, and we
must provide clear facts to ensure
that Americans have the
truth about the virus,” Meng
said at a CAPAC press conference
on Capitol Hill on Feb.
28. “My district in Queens has
one of the largest Asian American
populations in the nation,
and I continue to hear about
Asian-owned businesses being
impacted because people are
afraid to visit these establishments.
Congress must demonstrate
resolute leadership and
the first step is to convey facts,
not misinformation.”
Since the outbreak of the
coronavirus, there have been a
surge in reports of discrimination
and violent attacks against
Asian Americans across the
country, according to Meng.
Many of these attacks have
been instigated and fueled by
misinformation, including
misconceptions that AAPIs
are more likely to carry and
spread the virus, or conspiracy
theories that China created the
coronavirus in a lab.
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