Martin Bashir forced to give humiliating apology after 'stupid, tasteless' Asian babes gag By Liz Thomas

Last updated at 5:49 PM on 06th August 2008

In his famous interview with Princess Diana, he was the epitome of sympathy and tact.
But those qualities were conspicuously absent when Martin Bashir addressed a group of American journalists at a prestigious banquet.
During a speech that was supposed to champion the cause of minority groups, he stunned his audience by referring to them as 'Asian babes'.
News stars: Martin Bashir with his ABC co-anchor Cynthia McFadden

He went one worse by saying he was glad the podium was covering the lower half of his body.

He then made inappropriate sexual comments about the length of a colleague's dress.
As a result of the resulting furore, Bashir has now made a grovelling apology for the lewd comments, which he made in an address to the Asian American Journalists' Association.
The 45-year- old TV journalist was poached by U.S. broadcaster ABC from ITV with a $1million-a-year deal in 2004.
Unamused: ABC presenter Juju Chang was targeted by Bashir
After working on ABC's 20/20 current affairs show he was promoted to the role of co-anchor on the popular Nightline programme - the network's equivalent of BBC's Newsnight.
One of his colleagues at ABC is Emmy Award-winning correspondent Juju Chang, who had the misfortune of being present at the AAJA gala scholarship and awards banquet in Chicago last week when Bashir made his speech.
After observing that he'd 'never been around so many Asian babes in my life' he turned his attention to Miss Chang's dress, telling the audience that, like a good speech, it was 'long enough to cover the important parts and short enough to keep you interested'.
An exasperated Miss Chang responded: 'See what I have to put up with?' She later described the comments as a 'ridiculous joke' and added: 'He has since apologised to me for his boorishness.'
Bashir's behaviour prompted ABC to release a statement publicly condemning the remarks.
Channel spokesman Jerry Scheider said: 'This kind of remark has no place in any setting and Martin knows that and is truly sorry for his serious error in judgment.'

Bashir has now also written to the journalists' association apologising for the 'tasteless remarks' he made at the event and describing his behaviour as a 'moment of stupidity'.



The speech was meant to tackle the issue of cultural identity and how differences in race and ethnicity should be seen as an asset not an obstacle in the industry.
The president of the AAJA, Jeanne Mariani-Belding, said yesterday: 'I appreciate the point he was trying to make. But could his speech have been in better taste? I would say so.'
Born in South London in 1963 to Pakistani migrants, Bashir now lives in New York with his wife Debbie and their two children.

He became a household name in 1995 by interviewing Princess Diana. The princess spoke candidly about her battle with bulimia, her affair with James Hewitt and her failing marriage to Prince Charles.

The programme was watched by more than 22million viewers and was nominated for a Bafta.
He has also interviewed Michael Jackson and Louise Woodward, the British au pair convicted of the manslaughter of a baby she was caring for in the U.S.
In June, Bashir revealed he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour but vowed to 'get on with his life'.
It is understood that he does not need surgery or treatment at this stage because the tumour is not affecting his well-being, but the situation will need to be monitored.

I was actually at this dinner as a guest of teh Bill and Melinda Gates Fuondation and I was wondering when someone in the news media would say something about this. Bashir was INCREDIBLY inappropriaet in his comments. The entire room was silent and dumbfounded when he made the comments. In fact, minutes before he went on I passed him in the hall way and he looked sooo nervous. I immediately got this weird feeling like something bad was gooing to happen. What a jackass!

Perhaps he was high??????? No sober journalist would act this way....

Like you said T he is not a real journalist. Now we know what a fraud he is.

so i've heard he's not being a respectable journalist.... but chay, to make those kinnah comments, what was he smoking.....he just ended what was left of his career.... n he himself doesn't belong to the blue eyed club, to be making those kinna comments .......

Dey man jeh stoopay.

Mehnn...That was really stoopay for true. What was he thinking?