Sacha Baron Cohen apologises to Kazakhstan over Borat, 20 years on
Sacha Baron Cohen apologised "to the people of Kazakhstan" for the first time on a podcast, saying the Borat character has nothing to do with the country. Both outlets report it with background on Kazakhstan's changing reaction.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 2Sacha Baron Cohen has publicly apologised to the people of Kazakhstan for the first time over Borat, the character from the 2006 film. MeduzaLC “British actor Sacha Baron Cohen has publicly apologized to the people of Kazakhstan for his portrayal of Borat in the 2006 film of the same name.” Read at Meduza ↗ The IndependentLC “Sacha Baron Cohen has apologized to “the people of Kazakhstan” for the first time over his portrayal of Borat.” Read at The Independent ↗ Left · 2On the podcast "Happy Sad Confused", Baron Cohen said: "I want to apologize to the people of Kazakhstan, for the first time ever, because Borat has got nothing to do with Kazakhstan." The IndependentLC ““I want to apologize to the people of Kazakhstan, for the first time ever, because Borat has got nothing to do with Kazakhstan.”” Read at The Independent ↗ MeduzaLC “the actor said on the podcast “Happy Sad Confused.”” Read at Meduza ↗ Left · 2Baron Cohen said the character began as an earlier version made for the BBC, presented as Albanian, and that the character's nationality and name then changed depending on which channel was paying; when the character moved to HBO, which owned it, a new country was needed, and Kazakhstan was chosen as a place "that no one knows anything about". The IndependentLC ““Borat’s nation changed continually dependent on which channel was paying for him.” Read at The Independent ↗ MeduzaLC “Baron Cohen said he had developed an earlier version of the character for the BBC, with a different name and Albanian nationality.” Read at Meduza ↗
Left · 1Speaking to the audience at New York's 92nd Street Y, Baron Cohen asked any Kazakhstanis present not to take it personally, saying they meant no harm and respected the people and culture of Kazakhstan. The IndependentLC “I mean no harm. I respect your people, your culture. Please do not take it personally.”” Read at The Independent ↗ Left · 2Baron Cohen also recalled a complaint from the Kazakh embassy early in the character's run, which they said was made "quite rightly", and admitted not knowing what a Kazakh accent sounds like. The IndependentLC “he received a complaint “quite rightly” from the Kazakh embassy.” Read at The Independent ↗ MeduzaLC “He emphasized that he doesn’t even know what a Kazakh accent sounds like.” Read at Meduza ↗ Left · 2Baron Cohen concluded that the character was really about the ignorance of people who could believe such things happened in a place they had never heard of, echoing a 2006 Rolling Stone interview in which they said the joke was on those who believe the Kazakhstan described could exist. The IndependentLC “it had nothing to do with Kazakhstan, and everything to do with the ignorance of the people” Read at The Independent ↗ MeduzaLC ““The joke is not on Kazakhstan. I think the joke is on people who can believe that the Kazakhstan that I describe can exist,” the actor said in a 2006 Interview with Rolling Stone.” Read at Meduza ↗
Left · 1Kazakh official attitudes have shifted over time: in 2005 the Foreign Ministry threatened to sue, the film never screened in Kazakh cinemas though it was not officially banned, and in 2020 Kazakh Tourism adopted the catchphrase "Very nice!" as its tourism slogan. MeduzaLC “In 2005, the country’s Foreign Ministry threatened to sue Baron Cohen”“In 2020, Kazakh Tourism, the company responsible for promoting tourism within Kazakhstan, adopted his catchphrase “Very nice!” as the country’s official tourism slogan.” Read at Meduza ↗ Left · 2After the 2020 sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Kazakh Americans wrote a public letter saying the character had done "irreparable harm to Kazakhstan's national image", and the Kazakh American Association called for the film to be excluded from award nominations. The IndependentLC “the character had done “irreparable harm to Kazakhstan’s national image.”” Read at The Independent ↗ MeduzaLC “the Kazakh American Association called for “Borat 2” to be excluded from consideration for Oscar, Golden Globe, and other award nominations.” Read at Meduza ↗ Left · 1The Independent notes that Baron Cohen is currently promoting another sequel, Ali G: Who Iz I?. The IndependentLC “Cohen is currently promoting another sequel Ali G: Who Iz I?” Read at The Independent ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets report the apology straight, leading with the quote that Borat has nothing to do with Kazakhstan. Meduza adds the history of Kazakhstan's shifting official response; The Independent adds the podcast anecdotes and the live-audience appeal.
- Emphasis
- Meduza stresses Kazakhstan's move from hostility to acceptance; The Independent stresses Baron Cohen's jokes and the sequel's backlash.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither reports a response from the Kazakh government or embassy to the apology. The Independent omits Kazakhstan's official reaction history; Meduza omits the audience appeal and the Ali G promotion.
- Charged language
- “vulgar, racist Kazakh television journalist”
- For example
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“Over the years, Kazakhstan’s authorities have shifted from hostility toward “Borat” to acceptance.” — Meduza
“starred as the vulgar, racist Kazakh television journalist Borat Sagdiyev” — The Independent
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Baron Cohen apologised to the people of Kazakhstan for the first time, on the podcast Happy Sad Confused.
- Borat was first developed for the BBC as an Albanian character and changed nationality depending on the channel.
- Baron Cohen recalled a complaint from the Kazakh embassy and said they cannot do a Kazakh accent.
Sacha Baron Cohen person
Says Borat has nothing to do with Kazakhstan, that the country was picked as somewhere nobody knows, and asks Kazakhstanis not to take it personally.
“I respect your people, your culture. Please do not take it personally.”” — The Independent
“because Borat has got nothing to do with Kazakhstan.”” — Meduza
Kazakhstan place
Its authorities moved from threatening legal action in 2005 to adopting a Borat catchphrase as a tourism slogan in 2020; Kazakh Americans objected to the sequel. No reaction to the apology is reported.
“In 2005, the country’s Foreign Ministry threatened to sue Baron Cohen” — Meduza
“irreparable harm to Kazakhstan’s national image.”” — The Independent
Left2 articles
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MeduzaLC ·
Sacha Baron Cohen publicly apologizes to Kazakhstan for ‘Borat,’ 20 years after the film’s release
Neutral Straight report of the apology followed by a history of Kazakhstan's official reaction to Borat.
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Sacha Baron Cohen apologizes to Kazakhstan for first time over Borat
Neutral Reports the apology with extended quotes and the sequel backlash; ends with a dig at the Ali G sequel.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 29 Oct 16:57 First MeduzaLC Sacha Baron Cohen publicly apologizes to Kazakhstan for ‘Borat,’ 20 years after the film’s release
- 29 Oct 18:56 +2h The IndependentLC Sacha Baron Cohen apologizes to Kazakhstan for first time over Borat
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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