“Totally Unacceptable”: Sky News Host Fired Over Racist On-Air Comments
TV network Sky News has terminated the contract of one of its hosts after they launched an on-air racist rant about Chinese people.
Ross Cameron, who was the co-host of Outsiders alongside Rowan Dean, made the racist remarks during last Monday night’s episode of the show.
“The Disneyland in Shanghai on any typical morning of the week, you’ll see 20,000 black-haired, slanty-eyed, yellow-skinned Chinese desperate to get into Disneyland because they like and enjoy, and are embracing many aspects of Western culture,” Cameron told viewers.
His comments drew the ire of many Aussies, including Australia’s former race discrimination commissioner Tim Soutphommasane.
Part of me doesn’t want to give this any attention, but this is nasty even by the low standards of Sky News and Outsiders. Ross Cameron and Rowan Dean: don’t complain if you’re called racist and bigoted. That describes your program accurately https://t.co/tozHGAjsUx
— Tim Soutphommasane (@timsout) November 1, 2018
Sky New finally jumped into action the day after, with CEO Paul Whittaker issuing a statement saying that Cameron’s contract had been terminated, and that his comments were “totally unacceptable”.
Statement from Sky News Chief Executive Paul Whittaker regarding Ross Cameron. pic.twitter.com/wepBbYd5dT
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) November 2, 2018
What followed was an apology from Cameron on Macquarie’s 2GB.
“My main point is that I don’t wish a young Australian, in an Australian school or playground, to suffer as a consequence of their ethnicity or their origin,” he told John Stanley.
“And if people feel that my approach to selling the Chinese story was inadequate, was offensive, then I’m very happy to apologise.”
“I think it was clumsy and it should have been done better, and it was a failure on my part.”
Appearing without Cameron on-air last week following his sacking, Dean admitted that his former co-host had crossed the line, but stopped short of labelling him a racist.
.@rowandean: ‘The Ross Cameron I know is no racist and in fact has been a tireless advocate for the Chinese and Jewish communities.
He is a good friend and I will miss him.’
MORE: https://t.co/ykweMevBOK#Outsiderspic.twitter.com/5IE1C3aPp2
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) November 3, 2018
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