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Reading: Weatherman Denies Using Racial Slur Live On Air, Gets Sacked Anyway
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B&T > Media > Weatherman Denies Using Racial Slur Live On Air, Gets Sacked Anyway
Media

Weatherman Denies Using Racial Slur Live On Air, Gets Sacked Anyway

Staff Writers
Published on: 9th January 2019 at 12:03 PM
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An American weatherman has been fired after allegedly using an offensive racial slur during a live broadcast.

Jeremy Kappell (main photo) of NBC’s WHEC-TV was reporting on the weather from Martin Luther King Memorial Park in Rochester in New York State when he apparently said: “Martin Luther c**n King Junior.”

Listen to the (admittedly rather grainy) reporting here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSimVJ4vYDA&feature=youtu.be

Kappell denies using the slur and claimed he’d simply mangled his sentence.

In a Facebook post following his dismissal, Kappell said: “What happened on Friday, to me, it’s a simple misunderstanding. If you watch me regularly you know I tend to contain a lot of information in my weathercast, which forces me to speak fast.

“Unfortunately I spoke a little too fast when I was referencing Dr Martin Luther King Jr. So fast to the point where I jumbled a couple of little words. I’m my mind I knew I mispronounced but there was no malice nothing that I could’ve… I had no idea the way it came across to many people.”

However, WHEC-TV bosses were having none of it and promptly gave Kappell his marching orders.

Station vice president and general manager Richard A Reingold said: “These words have no place on News10NBC’s air, and the fact that we broadcast them disheartens and disgusts me; that it was not caught immediately is inexcusable. I regret that we did not immediately interrupt our broadcast and apologise on the spot.”

Yet, Kappel is not without his supporters, with many agreeing it was simply a slip of the tongue rather than anything racist. There are now calls for the weatherman to be reinstated, with 2000-plus people signing a petition calling on the network to give him his job back.

Check out some of the social media support below:

Screen Shot 2019-01-09 at 9.33.30 am

Screen Shot 2019-01-09 at 9.31.18 am

 

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Staff Writers represent B&T's team of award-winning reporters. Here, you'll find articles crafted with industry experience spanning over 50 years. Our team of specialists brings together a wealth of knowledge and a commitment to delivering insightful, topical, and breaking news. With a deep understanding of advertising and media, our Staff Writers are dedicated to providing industry-leading analysis and reporting, both shaping the conversation and setting the benchmark for excellence.

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