South China Morning Post - Scientific journal admits it ‘was an error on our part’ to erroneously link the pathogen with Wuhan and China
- ‘It would be tragic if stigma, fuelled by the coronavirus, led Asia’s young people to retreat from international campuses,’ it says
British scientific journal Nature has apologised for associating
with China in its reporting, saying that early coverage of the global health crisis by itself and other media had led to racist attacks on people of Asian descent around the world.
In an article published on Tuesday, the publication said that the
’s announcement on February 11 that the official name for the pneumonia-like virus would be Covid-19 had been an implicit reminder to “those who had erroneously been associating the virus with Wuhan and with China in their news coverage – including Nature”.
“That we did so was an error on our part, for which we take responsibility and apologise,” it said.
“It’s clear that since the outbreak was first reported, people of Asian descent around the world have been subjected to racist attacks, with untold human costs – for example, on their health and livelihoods.”
