Newspaper apologizes for calling hockey player "dark guy in the middle" in photo caption

The Vancouver Sun quickly removed the cutline of a photo of Jordan Subban

Published September 24, 2014 5:48PM (EDT)

 Vancouver Canuck's Jordan Subban
Vancouver Canuck's Jordan Subban

The Vancouver Sun has apologized for an offensive cutline that referred to Vancouver Canuck hockey player Jordan Subban as the "dark guy in the middle." The caption was published on Tuesday night in a piece that was supposed to celebrate Subban, who scored the opening goal in the Canucks' first preseason NHL game against the San Jose Sharks.

Reporter Greg Balloch spotted it and immediately called attention to it on Twitter:

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However, as the same caption appeared elsewhere, people were quick to point out that the error seems to come from a wire service that the Sun subscribes to:

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Though the Sun deleted it within minutes, the mistake made headlines, including a mention on Jim Romenesko's indispensable media blog on Wednesday.

The Sun has apologized to its readers and to Subban. Deputy editor Gillian Burnett tweeted that they are currently investigating the incident:

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By Prachi Gupta

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com.

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Captions Hockey Jordan Subban Newspapers Photography Vancouver Sun