NEPTUNE, NJ – The Asbury Park Press today said it has parted ways with Gustavo Martinez Contreras. This weekend Contreras posted a photo of a Jewish nurse administering COVID-19 vaccine and placed a sexist and anti-Semitic caption in the photo on the company’s online news website.
“A f-cking hot nurse, a total JAP, loads a syringe with a dose of the ModernaCOVID-19 vaccine during a [sic] in the Center for Health Education, Medicine and Dentistry vaccination tent in Lakewood, New Jersey,” he wrote in a photo caption of the event that was headlined by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
Read more: Gannett Newspaper describes frontline Jewish nurse as “f-cking hot nurse”,”Total JAP”
“The reporter in question is no longer with the company,” Editor Paul D’Ambrosio said of Contreras. “I was shocked and disgusted when I learned it was true. This was an inexcusable act. The objectification of women and religious insults are intentional actions.”
“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,” Contreras said.
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Understaffed, the Asbury Park Press now allows its writers to publish news and photos directly to the company’s website and apps without editorial review, D’Ambrosio said. No editorial review was conducted after Contreras uploaded his photos to the website, he said.
“I know the Press failed you this weekend. But please understand how seriously we take our responsibility to this community, now and in the days and years to come,” the editor said.
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