Pro tennis player and successful business entrepreneur, Serena Williams, raised $111 million for her new venture fund "Serena Ventures."
But what should have been a celebratory headline for an impressive accomplishment was overshadowed when The New York Times reported on the story but featured a photo of her older sister, Venus Williams–a tennis legend in her own right.
The news outlet didn't even mention Serena by name in their headline.
The headline read:
“Tennis Star’s Venture Firm Has Raised $111 Million."
On Tuesday, Serena–once ranked No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks and known as one of the greatest athletes of all time–tweeted her disappointment over the lack of progress against racial bias after becoming a casualty of a news outlet mixing up Black people.
She wrote:
"No matter how far we come, we get reminded that it's not enough."
"This is why I raised $111M for @serenaventures."
"To support the founders who are overlooked by engrained systems woefully unaware of their biases."
"Because even I am overlooked. You can do better, @nytimes."
No matter how far we come, we get reminded that it's not enough. This is why I raised $111M for @serenaventures. To support the founders who are overlooked by engrained systems woefully unaware of their biases. Because even I am overlooked. You can do better, @nytimes.pic.twitter.com/hvfCl5WUoz— Serena Williams (@Serena Williams) 1646238273
Her tweet included a photo of the NYT article with the photo of Venus labeled "Serena Williams."
@serenawilliams/Twitter
People on social media understood her frustration.
C'Mon! TY @serenawilliams for not letting @nytimes off the hook by dismissing this as error, mistake or oversight. It reflects how America\u2019s nativist press see or don\u2019t POC\u2014specifically Black people. I often talk about Boston\u2019s press as being guardians of nativism. #NITM #BOSpolihttps://twitter.com/serenawilliams/status/1499058086165639169\u00a0\u2026— Notorious VOG (@Notorious VOG) 1646258430
Wow! Oh my goodness. This will seem trivial to some but it really isn't. $100m fund raised and still not worthy of a basic image search.— Mark McIntosh (@Mark McIntosh) 1646239381
But also \u201cTennis Star\u201d? Unacceptable. Say her name. As for the photo I can\u2019t even. Bless you and your sister for all you\u2019ve done and continue to do for us.— Workplace Whisperer (@Workplace Whisperer) 1646238555
WTF???????????????????? You are one of the most recognizable women in the world, and so is Venus for that matter, how could anyone make this mistake?????— pwig (@pwig) 1646241215
This is a systemic failure at every level of the New York Times.— Mike Rundle (@Mike Rundle) 1646241952
In response to the backlash, The New York Times tweeted, "This was our mistake" and they faulted the gaffe "to an error when selecting photos for the print edition."
The newspaper confirmed the incorrect photo did not appear in their article online and ensured the error would be rectified the next day.
This was our mistake. It was due to an error when selecting photos for the print edition, and it did not appear online. A correction will appear in tomorrow\u2019s paper.— NYT Business (@NYT Business) 1646252789
People noted the lack of an apology.
i believe the words you are looking for are \u201cim sorry\u201dpic.twitter.com/f8p1InqYNl— brandon (@brandon) 1646254262
Despite the newspaper's response, many people still found the error inexcusable.
They also questioned if proper vetting was involved before the paper went to print.
U hit the nail on the head\u2026many eyes saw this B4 print. NYT making excuses\u2026they F\u2019d up MAJORLY! How in the hell does anyone mistake Venus 4 Serena. 2 smart-beautiful-talented-powerful-black women who each stand on their own w/each having their own individual accomplishments.— RL (@RL) 1646286303
Pls don't blame machines.U selected t. wrong photo. A mix-up? \n \nSo there is no preflight, print mock-up b4 going to print?\n\nOne of the biggest news for women funding and this news lands on the bottom 2% corner of your paper??— BiteMini (@BiteMini) 1646253705
What a piss poor response. The error in \u201cselecting photos\u201d is that your systems think all Black people look alike. Own up to THAT. Biased algorithms, racial ignorance and lazy editors. That\u2019s how this happened.— Aisha C. Mills (@Aisha C. Mills) 1646254799
Was the error\u2026biases as Serena Williams points out? It sounds to me like the error was letting bias play out far enough to make it to print. How many checkpoints did this pass w/o being caught and what will be done going forward to stop this from happening again to (non)celebs?— Adrasteia (@Adrasteia) 1646254270
A review of the photo on image source Getty Images however may shed more light on the issue.
Two photos of Venus Williams' February 27, 2022 arrival at the SAG Awards were misidentified as Serena Williams.
When the error was discovered or corrected—before or after the NYT gaffe—and by which entity—the photographer, AFP or Getty Images—is unclear.
But the photo used by The New York Times is one of these two previously mislabeled photos.
Getty Images.com
Getty Images.com
Serena Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that has invested in founders with "diverse points of view," including fintechs Propel, Cointracker, and edtech Masterclass, among many others, according to Reuters.
Alison Rapaport, who has previously worked at J.P. Morgan, Wasserman, and Melo7Tech Ventures, leads the company along with Williams.
According to their blog, Serena Ventures has raised an inaugural fund of $111M to continue "pursuing their mission," which is to "unlock value for investors, doors for founders, and opportunities for everyone to live better."
CNN listed examples of news outlets often miscrediting African Americans, including a KTLA journalist who apologized after mistaking actor Samuel L. Jackson for fellow actor, Laurence Fishburne, in a 2014 interview.
The media outlet also noted that in 2018, Fox News apologized after erroneously using a photo of singer Patti LaBelle in a tribute to the late Aretha Franklin.