UPDATE: Jackie Magazine Publisher Says There is ‘Nothing Wrong’ With Calling Rihanna The ‘N’ Word
They just don’t know when to stop, do they? After Eva Hoeke’s resignation on Tuesday from her post as Editor-in-Chief of Jackie magazine for calling Barbadian singer Rihanna a Jamaican “niggabitch” with a “ghetto ass,” publisher Yves Gijrath has released a statement saying the magazine has nothing to apologize for, and “will not be silenced.” Jezebel got their hands on this translation of Gijrath’s statement via Villamedia:
[T]here is nothing wrong in the magazine. [Hoeke] presented it as a joke, but it most certainly was not a joke. It was an interpretation [of a fashion style]…She should have said: “we did not realize this interpretation is such a touchy subject. We never meant any harm and offer our sincere and upright apologies.” But because of all the fuss, Eva started to wiggle in all directions, and therefore we have come to the conclusion her credibility has been undermined.
In short, they’re sorry people were offended, but they’re not sorry they used the word. While we find it extremely difficult to believe that the publishers were unaware of the controversial nature of the ‘N’ word, It seems Mr. Gijrath just doesn’t get the point.
