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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNew York weatherman fired over racial slur in forecast
Source: Reuters
U.S. JANUARY 8, 2019 / 8:58 AM / UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO
New York weatherman fired over racial slur in forecast
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York television meteorologist was fired after saying what many heard as a racial slur on air, which he defended on Monday evening as a slip of the tongue that he tried to quickly correct.
During his weather forecast on Rochesters WHEC-TV channel on Friday, Jeremy Kappell could be heard referring to Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Park, according to video of the broadcast circulated online.
Kappell, who is white, said in a video statement posted online that he was speaking fast and realized he had garbled a couple of words in the name of the slain African-American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and so corrected himself.
He called King a great man and said he did not use a racial slur. Coon is a racist term used to disparage black people.
-snip-
New York weatherman fired over racial slur in forecast
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York television meteorologist was fired after saying what many heard as a racial slur on air, which he defended on Monday evening as a slip of the tongue that he tried to quickly correct.
During his weather forecast on Rochesters WHEC-TV channel on Friday, Jeremy Kappell could be heard referring to Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Park, according to video of the broadcast circulated online.
Kappell, who is white, said in a video statement posted online that he was speaking fast and realized he had garbled a couple of words in the name of the slain African-American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and so corrected himself.
He called King a great man and said he did not use a racial slur. Coon is a racist term used to disparage black people.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-new-york-meteorologist/new-york-weatherman-fired-over-racial-slur-in-forecast-idUSKCN1P21E4
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New York weatherman fired over racial slur in forecast (Original Post)
Eugene
Jan 2019
OP
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)1. ESPN's Mike Greenberg did the same thing
A number of years ago, sports commentator Mike Greenberg likewise repeated the "u" vowel sound, and kept his job.
Both men claim that it was a matter of getting tongue tied and slipping up vowel sounds, something like spoonerisms.
Various broadcasters have said they say "MLK" to avoid making that sort of repeated vowel error.
The audio in question: (the station is apparently using aggressive copyright enforcement to have clips removed from youtube)
The Mike Greenberg one was during an intro of "Mike and Mike in the Morning"....
Anon-C
(3,430 posts)2. Thanks for posting both! I think it points to the truth.
Martin Luther Coon King a flub?
maxsolomon
(33,461 posts)3. I didn't even know "Martin Luther Coon" was a thing.
How clever.
"I'm not black but there's a whole lots a times I wish I could say I'm not white"
-F. Zappa
Dennis Donovan
(18,770 posts)4. He did a FB mea culpa video with his wife - I did a screen grab:
...that look on your face when you realize you married a racist.