‘Bunch of goons’ remark was for Chinese Govt: CNN

Anchor was referring to the Chinese government and not to the people, says American broadcaster CNN.

“Anchor was referring to the Chinese government and not to the people when he used the words a “bunch of goons and thugs” and he offered to “apologise” to anyone who interpreted the comments in some other way”, said American broadcaster CNN on Wednesday.

Commentator Jack Cafferty was only “offering his strongly held opinion of the Chinese government, not the Chinese people”, a point he has subsequently clarified, the Atlanta-based broadcaster said.

CNN’s clarification came a day after the Chinese foreign ministry demanded an apology from it, saying Beijing was “shocked” at the remarks and strongly condemned them.

Story continues below this ad

CNN, among the Western media that is under attack from China over their “distorted” coverage of the Tibet unrest, said “… it was not Cafferty’s, nor CNN’s, intent to cause offence to the Chinese people and (CNN) would apologise to anyone who has interpreted the comments in this way”.

“We are also running hundreds of billions of dollars worth of trade deficits with them, as we continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food and export, you know, jobs to places where you can pay workers a dollar a month and turn out the stuff that we’re buying from Wal-Mart”, Cafferty had said in his remarks in “The Show Room”, a political programme.

“So, I think our relationship with China has certainly changed. I think they’re basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they’ve been for the last 50 years”, he had said in the programme.