Deadline Editor Apologizes For "Insensitivity" In "Ethnic Castings" Article

"We will move forward determined to do better," editor Mike Fleming Jr. wrote in a column Sunday.

Deadline last week published an article by Nellie Andreeva that asked if the number of recent "ethnic castings" on TV was too much of a good thing.

The publication later changed the headline, after backlash from a number of people in the entertainment industry.

My co-editor-in-chief Nellie Andreeva's goal was to convey that there was such an uptick of TV pilot casting of people of color that it pinched white actors who've historically gotten most of the jobs, and to question if this could last if it was being treated as a fad. All this was undermined by that headline (which we changed after the fact) and a repetition of the word "ethnic" that came off cold and insensitive.
The only appropriate way to view racial diversity in casting is to see it as a wonderful thing, and to hope that Hollywood continues to make room for people of color. The missteps were dealt with internally; we will do our best to make sure that kind of insensitivity doesn't surface again here. As co-editors in chief, Nellie and I apologize deeply and sincerely to those who've been hurt by this. There is no excuse. It is important to us that Deadline readers know we understand why you felt betrayed, and that our hearts are heavy with regret. We will move forward determined to do better.
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