"I’d like to address the ongoing controversy surrounding the Too $hort video and try to set the record straight," XXL Magazine’s editor-in-chief Vanessa Satten wrote in a statement published on XXLmag.com late Wednesday night. "As soon as I learned about the video, I had it taken down," Satten continued.
And that’s her line and she’s sticking to it. "As soon as I learned about the video, I had it taken down."
No mention of the word "sorry" or "apology" and no clear mention of what XXL is doing to prevent this from the future.
Below is a snippet from Satten’s statement published on XXLmag.com:
As a woman, I in no way find the content of the video acceptable. To think I would ever approve anything that would harm women or endanger children is absurd. Under no terms should sexual assault be tolerated, nor do I endorse making light of it.
The staffers responsible for producing and posting this video have since been suspended. We are currently implementing changes in our posting process to ensure something like this never happens again. I am not trying to pass this off on my staff but unfortunately an awful judgment call was made.
Satten ended her letter by attempting to shut down the conversation. "To the people who are offended by the video, I agree with you. That’s why I had it immediately taken down."
"While this statement actually mentions the central issue–which is that XXL.com gave an aging rapper an international platform to instruct middle school boys to push girls against walls and stick their fingers in their vaginas without explicit consent–it’s still a reaction to community pressure for the editor in chief to be fired or to resign," said Akiba Solomon, Colorlines.com’s gender matters blogger.
"Folks need to get out of PR mode and get serious."
A petition calling on Harris Publications to fire Satten surpassed its goal of getting 1,000 signatures on Wednesday. At the time this story was published the petition had close to 1,800 signatures.
Visit Ebony.com to read Akiba Solomon’s "Too $hort and the Anatomy of a weak apology."