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Post by Admin on Jul 29, 2021 18:47:13 GMT
A South Korean TV network has apologized after using an image of the Chernobyl disaster to represent Ukraine during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. MBC displayed the photo as Team Ukraine filed into the National Stadium on Friday for the start of the Games. Chernobyl was the site of a devastating nuclear accident in 1986. The disaster caused 2 immediate deaths and 29 deaths from acute radiation sickness within the following three months. Environmental watchdog Greenpeace International, however, said in 2009 that more than 90,000 people are expected to die as a result of the spread of radioactive material caused by the explosion. MBC also used a photo of civil unrest to depict Haiti during the ceremony, as well as pictures of national stereotypes to represent other nations. It used photos of pizza to represent Italy, sushi for Japan, and salmon when introducing Norway. "In today's Opening Ceremony broadcast, inappropriate photos were used when introducing countries like Ukraine and Haiti," MBC said in a statement. "Also, inappropriate photos and subtitles were used for other countries. We apologize to those countries including Ukraine and our viewers." Friday's ceremony was played out in front of an empty stadium due to COVID-19 protocols amid the pandemic. Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic flame to signify the official opening of the Games. The 23-year-old called it her "greatest athletic achievement."
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Post by Admin on Jul 29, 2021 20:51:46 GMT
A South Korean TV network apologised Sunday for the “inappropriate images and captions” it used to broadcast the Olympic opening ceremony a day earlier. In editorial decisions that ranged from offensive to baffling, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) blanketed its coverage with viral narration as each country’s athletes were introduced during the procession. For Italy, a photo of pizza popped up. For Romania, one of Dracula. When Ukranian athletes walked, imagery of Chernobyl, the deadly nuclear accident in 1986, accompanied them. The Marshall Islands were introduced as “once a nuclear test site for the United States” and Syria was described as a country that has had “a civil war going on for 10 years.” Haiti’s “political situation is fogged by the assassination of the president,” according to MBC. “The images and captions are intended to make it easier for the viewers to understand the entering countries quickly during the opening ceremony,” the network said in a statement Sunday. “However we admit that there was a lack of consideration for the countries concerned and inspection was not thorough enough. It is an inexcusable mistake.”
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Post by Admin on Jul 30, 2021 20:18:32 GMT
A major South Korean broadcaster apologised Saturday for using offensive images and captions to describe participating countries during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on Friday night.
Coronavirus restrictions meant a stripped back celebration with the traditional delegations of athletes masked and far smaller than usual, ranging from just a handful of people to a few dozen.
MBC -- one of the largest national television networks -- used images of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster for Ukraine, a riot for Haiti and a promotional bitcoin poster for El Salvador when each nation entered the stadium.
The broadcaster issued an apology following the opening ceremony, saying "inappropriate images and captions were used to introduce some countries."
"We apologise to those countries including Ukraine and our viewers," it said.
For some countries, the descriptions were more gastronomic, with images of pizza for Italy, sushi for Japan, and salmon for Norway.
In the captions, the network described the Marshall Islands as "a former nuclear test site for the United States" and Haiti as a country "with an unstable political situation due to the assassination of its president".
Despite the network's apology, the images and captions triggered outrage online.
"They used whatever popped up first on Google," said one user online.
Another added: "This is a serious diplomatic discourtesy."
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