Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
2 of 18 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
11
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
The sneaker company Converse has removed a social media ad that sparked outrage among critics who viewed it as evoking the Ku Klux Klan and lynching.
asserted
who → remove → Klan
The Instagram ad photo showed K-pop singer Karina wearing a skirt and holding a pair of Chuck 70 X sneakers.
asserted
Karina → show → sneakers
Critics lashed out online, saying that a white triangular image created by lighting on the skirt resembled a KKK hood – and that the way she held the sneakers made them look like the dangling feet of a lynching victim.
asserted
them → lash → victim
Converse, owned by Nike, issued a statement apologizing and saying it removed the ad.
asserted
it → own → ad
“We’re sorry,” said the statement, first released on Friday.
asserted
statement → ’re → Friday
“We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong.
asserted
this → understand → ?
We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared.
asserted
it → remove → it
This should not have happened and we will do better.”
asserted
we → happen → ?
Converse, based in Boston, declined on Sunday to answer questions seeking additional information, including how the company screens ads before they are posted and how the ad was approved.
asserted
ad → base → ads
Karina and her management company, SM Entertainment Group, did not immediately respond to messages through their Instagram accounts.
asserted
Karina → respond → accounts
Retailers and top fashion brands have issued a string of apologies over the years for products criticized as being racially insensitive.
asserted
Retailers → issue → products
In August, retailer Target pulled a children’s Halloween costume from its shelves after widespread social media backlash, apologizing for selling a garment that critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures.
asserted
critics → pull → caricatures
The Converse photo sparked swift criticism, including calls for staff involved in the ad to be fired and for a boycott of the company.
asserted
staff → spark → company
In a slew of comments on social media, posters questioned how the ad could have cleared the company’s advertising vetting process.
uncertain
ad → question → process
Other commenters defended Converse, saying they didn’t believe it was intentional.
asserted
it → defend → Converse
Lee Merritt, a Texas-based civil rights attorney, posted on Instagram that Converse’s apology “doesn’t undo what got past legal, marketing and leadership at every step”.
“We keep having this conversation because corporations keep failing the same test,” he wrote. “Do better means catching this before it airs – not after we’re offended.”
asserted
we → base → this
Converse, founded in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1908, makes the Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker.
asserted
Converse → found → sneaker
It was first released in 1917 as a non-skid basketball shoe, adding the signature of Taylor – a basketball player who promoted the sneaker – in 1934, according to the company’s website.
uncertain
who → release → website