Stop the media from referring to variants by country #NameTheVariants!
Stop the media from referring to variants by country #NameTheVariants!
The Issue
Update - WHO releases new labels for variants based on letters of the Greek alphabet. Read more here Examples: B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), B.1.617.2 (Delta). We urge news outlets to update old articles and adopt this terminology!
Original Petition:
Stop BBC, WSJ, AP, The Economist, FOX, and other news outlets from calling B.1.617 the “Indian Variant” and petition WHO to release standard nomenclature!
Labeling a variant with a nationality or racial group may increase risk of hate crimes and hurt minority-owned businesses. This problem is not just specific to B.1.617, but any variant that might arise in the future. This is really important and we must tackle this proactively - please share widely!
As Covid-19 devastates families and communities, new variants, such as those in the B.1.617 lineage, have emerged. Major news outlets are referring to these variants using language that stigmatizes. This needs to stop. We are concerned that labeling a variant with a nationality or racial group may increase risk of hate crimes [1] and hurt minority-owned businesses.
“If you're a journalist, ask yourself this: How is 'Indian variant' any different from 'Chinese virus'? And if you still can't see the similarity, congratulations on your ability to suppress cognitive dissonance and turn a blind eye to racism.” - Dr. JV Chamary, "What Should We Call Covid-19 Variants To Avoid Racism?”, Forbes
In January 2021, at an emergency committee, WHO’s technical lead shared plans to “develop and implement standard nomenclature for variants that does not reference a geographical location” [2]. Four months later, they have yet to #nameTheVariants.
Sign this petition to demand all news organizations use geographically and racially neutral terms when describing variants and urge WHO to release standard nomenclature. Until WHO makes recommendations, we suggest using scientific names to describe variants - for example, B.1.617, instead of “Indian variant/strain” or “variant from India” or “India virus.”
Scientific designations for some known variant lineages: B.1.351 NOT "South African Variant", P.1 NOT "Brazilian Variant", B.1.1.7 NOT "UK/British Variant."
A sample of news organizations we are petitioning against, with links to offending articles about B.1.617: The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Associated Press, BBC, FOX, Guardian, Forbes, Reuters, San Jose Mercury News, The Sunday Times, Telegraph, Independent, Times of India, Indian Express, The Japan Times, CNN, Gulf News, The Hill, Express, The Irish Times, The Economic Times, Khaleej Times, Medical Xpress, US News and World Report, The Australian Financial Review, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Metro, etc. There are also a large number of articles with labels for other variants including: Yale School of Public Health, BBC, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Science Magazine, Science Daily, The Visitor, The Quint
Please sign this petition and share widely - this issue affects all communities!
If you can do more:
- Tweet this petition at news outlets.
- Change your cover photo to the #nameTheVariants photo and link to the campaign.
- Write letters to editors and journalists of newspapers you read and send them this petition!
Updates:
- Scottish government renames B.1.617 as "April 02" variant. "The name change is intended to prevent stigma in associating the variant with people from India." Scotsman. More information here and here.
Important Quotations:
“A torrent of hate and violence against people of Asian descent around the United States began last spring, in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic…. Community leaders say the bigotry was fueled by President Donald J. Trump, who frequently used racist language like ‘Chinese virus’ to refer to the coronavirus...The New York Times... found more than 110 episodes since March 2020 in which there was clear evidence of race-based hate” New York Times.
"Using geographical regions to distinguish variants is harmful. The risk of being associated with a new variant... disincentivizes country-level genomic surveillance and transparent reporting of their results. The descriptions are also inaccurate. It is not known whether patient zero of each variant was a resident of or visitor to that country, and all variants have been identified well beyond the first countries in which they were identified” Science Magazine
“Geographic naming of pathogens and diseases can also foster a false sense of security. Labeling a virus as “foreign” may lead to the sense that it can be avoided by simply cutting off travel from the country in question, though public health authorities caution against disease management approaches that attribute contagious illnesses to a particular location... Stigma causes more than just hurt feelings: It kills… Using geography- or demography-based names for organisms or diseases is problematic for another reason: It is often wrong. Britain may have been the first to report the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, but that doesn’t mean the variant originated there. Instead, it’s possible that the virus was first detected in Britain because of the country’s particularly robust system of virus surveillance and genetic testing.” Statnews
Contact
For media inquiries or volunteer opportunities, please contact namethevariants@gmail.com.
Donate
With more than 150 reported* deaths every hour, Indians are struggling to access resources and healthcare. Please consider donating oxygen, food, and hospital beds to support struggling families in India. Places to donate: GiveIndia, IAHV, GoFundMe.
* “India Is Counting Thousands Of Daily COVID Deaths. How Many Is It Missing?” - NPR
Please also consider donating to the AAPI Community Fund and supporting the Asian and Pacific Islander community #stopAsianHate. "Donations will support organizations that empower and uplift the AAPI community, with initiatives such as increased community safety and support for those affected by violence."
References
[1] Asian-Americans Are Being Attacked. Why Are Hate Crime Charges So Rare? New York Times.
[2] Statement on the sixth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. WHO.
For additional resources and important reading, please see this doc.
The Issue
Update - WHO releases new labels for variants based on letters of the Greek alphabet. Read more here Examples: B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), B.1.617.2 (Delta). We urge news outlets to update old articles and adopt this terminology!
Original Petition:
Stop BBC, WSJ, AP, The Economist, FOX, and other news outlets from calling B.1.617 the “Indian Variant” and petition WHO to release standard nomenclature!
Labeling a variant with a nationality or racial group may increase risk of hate crimes and hurt minority-owned businesses. This problem is not just specific to B.1.617, but any variant that might arise in the future. This is really important and we must tackle this proactively - please share widely!
As Covid-19 devastates families and communities, new variants, such as those in the B.1.617 lineage, have emerged. Major news outlets are referring to these variants using language that stigmatizes. This needs to stop. We are concerned that labeling a variant with a nationality or racial group may increase risk of hate crimes [1] and hurt minority-owned businesses.
“If you're a journalist, ask yourself this: How is 'Indian variant' any different from 'Chinese virus'? And if you still can't see the similarity, congratulations on your ability to suppress cognitive dissonance and turn a blind eye to racism.” - Dr. JV Chamary, "What Should We Call Covid-19 Variants To Avoid Racism?”, Forbes
In January 2021, at an emergency committee, WHO’s technical lead shared plans to “develop and implement standard nomenclature for variants that does not reference a geographical location” [2]. Four months later, they have yet to #nameTheVariants.
Sign this petition to demand all news organizations use geographically and racially neutral terms when describing variants and urge WHO to release standard nomenclature. Until WHO makes recommendations, we suggest using scientific names to describe variants - for example, B.1.617, instead of “Indian variant/strain” or “variant from India” or “India virus.”
Scientific designations for some known variant lineages: B.1.351 NOT "South African Variant", P.1 NOT "Brazilian Variant", B.1.1.7 NOT "UK/British Variant."
A sample of news organizations we are petitioning against, with links to offending articles about B.1.617: The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Associated Press, BBC, FOX, Guardian, Forbes, Reuters, San Jose Mercury News, The Sunday Times, Telegraph, Independent, Times of India, Indian Express, The Japan Times, CNN, Gulf News, The Hill, Express, The Irish Times, The Economic Times, Khaleej Times, Medical Xpress, US News and World Report, The Australian Financial Review, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Metro, etc. There are also a large number of articles with labels for other variants including: Yale School of Public Health, BBC, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Science Magazine, Science Daily, The Visitor, The Quint
Please sign this petition and share widely - this issue affects all communities!
If you can do more:
- Tweet this petition at news outlets.
- Change your cover photo to the #nameTheVariants photo and link to the campaign.
- Write letters to editors and journalists of newspapers you read and send them this petition!
Updates:
- Scottish government renames B.1.617 as "April 02" variant. "The name change is intended to prevent stigma in associating the variant with people from India." Scotsman. More information here and here.
Important Quotations:
“A torrent of hate and violence against people of Asian descent around the United States began last spring, in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic…. Community leaders say the bigotry was fueled by President Donald J. Trump, who frequently used racist language like ‘Chinese virus’ to refer to the coronavirus...The New York Times... found more than 110 episodes since March 2020 in which there was clear evidence of race-based hate” New York Times.
"Using geographical regions to distinguish variants is harmful. The risk of being associated with a new variant... disincentivizes country-level genomic surveillance and transparent reporting of their results. The descriptions are also inaccurate. It is not known whether patient zero of each variant was a resident of or visitor to that country, and all variants have been identified well beyond the first countries in which they were identified” Science Magazine
“Geographic naming of pathogens and diseases can also foster a false sense of security. Labeling a virus as “foreign” may lead to the sense that it can be avoided by simply cutting off travel from the country in question, though public health authorities caution against disease management approaches that attribute contagious illnesses to a particular location... Stigma causes more than just hurt feelings: It kills… Using geography- or demography-based names for organisms or diseases is problematic for another reason: It is often wrong. Britain may have been the first to report the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, but that doesn’t mean the variant originated there. Instead, it’s possible that the virus was first detected in Britain because of the country’s particularly robust system of virus surveillance and genetic testing.” Statnews
Contact
For media inquiries or volunteer opportunities, please contact namethevariants@gmail.com.
Donate
With more than 150 reported* deaths every hour, Indians are struggling to access resources and healthcare. Please consider donating oxygen, food, and hospital beds to support struggling families in India. Places to donate: GiveIndia, IAHV, GoFundMe.
* “India Is Counting Thousands Of Daily COVID Deaths. How Many Is It Missing?” - NPR
Please also consider donating to the AAPI Community Fund and supporting the Asian and Pacific Islander community #stopAsianHate. "Donations will support organizations that empower and uplift the AAPI community, with initiatives such as increased community safety and support for those affected by violence."
References
[1] Asian-Americans Are Being Attacked. Why Are Hate Crime Charges So Rare? New York Times.
[2] Statement on the sixth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. WHO.
For additional resources and important reading, please see this doc.
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Petition created on May 18, 2021