Website apologizes for bizarre 'whitewashed' picture showing Obama, Beyoncé and Jay-Z transformed into Caucasians

  • Website wikiHow depicted Barack Obama, Beyoncé and Jay-Z as white people
  • The photo of the trio originally appeared at a 2012 New York fundraising event
  • Website said it was 'disgusted and ashamed' by the blunder that went viral  

By Thomas Burrows for MailOnline

Published: 12:01 EST, 25 January 2017 | Updated: 12:14 EST, 25 January 2017

A website has apologized for an embarrassing gaffe after depicting Barack Obama, Beyoncé and Jay-Z as Caucasians.

WikiHow, which boasts of being 'the world's leading how-to website', said it was 'disgusted and ashamed' by the blunder. 

The photo of the world's highest paid celebrity couple with Obama from a 2012 New York fundraising event was turned into a cartoon - with all three being made white.

It appeared on an article called 'how to become a congressman.'  

The website provides guides on how to do things and often uses cartoons to illustrate its step-by-step points.

The photo of the former president with the singer and rapper was taken at a 2012 fundraiser

The picture was turned into a cartoon on the website wikiHow and the trio were made white

After screenshots emerged comparing the cartoon with the original, the website issued a groveling apology, adding how they did not believe the illustrator 'intentionally whitewashed' the trio.

In a series of tweets, it said: 'When we saw the whitewashed image of Obama, Jay Z & Beyoncé, we were disgusted and ashamed. It never should have been on wikiHow.

'Within minutes of the first tweet, a volunteer removed the image. We then started investigating how it got on wikiHow at all.

'We learned it was made three years ago by a team of illustrators who work as one. One person sketches, the other person colors.

'The sketcher sent the colorist a black and white sketch. The colorist did not know the race of the models.

'The colorist wasn't aware it was Obama and Beyoncé. We don't think the illustrator intentionally whitewashed here.

'This doesn't excuse the fact that we hosted a terrible image on wikiHow and we needed more diversity on that article period.

'We're talking with our illustrators to prevent recurrence and encourage diversity. Especially in positions of power.'

WikiHow's investigation revealed the image had been created in January 2014 by a team of illustrators.

Jack Herrick, founder of the site, told the Guardian that wikiHow had issued a style guide in September 2014 requesting more gender and ethnic diversity in images, and since then 'pushed our requests for diversity further and further'.  

He told the newspaper: 'We've improved a lot on this issue over the last three years. You can and should expect wikiHow to be even better about this in our future work.'


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