#Asbury Park Press runs photo caption of ‘f–king hot nurse’

Gannett’s Asbury Park Press, the third-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey, sparked outrage over the weekend when it published a photo caption of “a f–king hot nurse” administering a COVID vaccine.

The offensive caption also called the unidentified nurse “a total JAP,” adding racism to the already profane and misogynistic text. The photo was credited to Gustavo Martinez Contreras, accompanying a story about efforts to bring the vaccine to communities of people of color on the Jersey Shore.

The caption was changed in later editions before the photo was taken down entirely, according to David Wildstein of New Jersey Globe, who first broke the story about the caption.

“This is beyond the pale and disgusting,” tweeted state Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch) while the photo was still live. “Asbury Park Press needs to provide an explanation and apology ASAP on why and how this was posted.”

In a Monday statement, Asbury Park Press executive editor Paul D’Ambrosio said the caption was fixed on Sunday as soon as editors at the paper learned of the issue.

“We took immediate and significant action once we became aware of the issue, and we changed our online procedures to ensure such an event never happens again,” D’Ambrosio said.

Martinez Contreras couldn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.