The "Kung Flu": How Media Images Frame Asians in Diasporic Chinese and US Newspapers During the Pandemic
Racially targeted hate crimes have increased for Asian populations across the globe since the coronavirus's arrival. This has been spurred by President Trump’s anti-Chinese rhetoric calling COVID-19 the “Kung flu” and “Chinese Virus,” assigning an identity to the virus. The FBI has reported a marked increase in hate crimes and physical violence against Asians and Asian Americans in the US including assault and harassment on public transportation.
This talk analyzes the representation of Asians and Asian Americans in US media during the coronavirus pandemic. Hyunh draws her analysis upon a unique dataset of 292 front-page newspaper photographs published between April and May 2020 (including the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Omaha-Nebraska Herald, and one of the largest circulating diasporic Chinese-English newspapers, the Global Times).
About the Speaker
Jennifer Huynh is an Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame and a Faculty Fellow at the Liu Institute.
Originally published at forum2020.nd.edu.