Meteorologist Jeremy Kappell, pictured, has been fired by New York TV network after he accidentally used a racial slur on air
A meteorologist has been fired by New York TV network after he accidentally used a racial slur to describe Martin Luther King Jr.
Jeremy Kappell referred to a Rochester park named after the civil rights leader as ‘Martin Luther C**n Park’, before quickly amending his mistake during a broadcast for WHEC.
The network said it was ‘disheartening and disgusting’ that the word had been broadcast on air, saying Kappell had been dismissed.
Kappell apologised last night, saying he had ‘mispronounced’ the word but had meant ‘no malice’.
In a Facebook video he appeared with his wife Lisa and said the slur was a ‘simple misunderstanding’ caused by speaking too fast.
He said: ‘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. In my mind I knew I mispronounced but there was no malice.
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‘I had no idea what some people could’ve interpreted that as. I know some people did interpret it the wrong way.
‘That is not a word I said, I promise you that. If you did feel that it hurt you in any way in any way I sincerely apologize.
‘I would never want to tarnish the reputation of a such a great man as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the greatest civic leaders of all time.’
The network’s general manager Richard A. Reingold said: ‘On behalf of News10NBC, I apologize for our broadcast of a racial slur in a reference to Martin Luther King, Jr. Park during our Friday evening broadcast.
‘As a result of that broadcast, meteorologist Jeremy Kappell is no longer with News10NBC.
‘We believe strongly in holding our reporters and anchors to the highest standard.
‘We are proud of our dedicated newsroom professionals, and expect and require that each respects and understands that their behavior reflects directly on the station for which they work and the community we serve.
Kappell apologised last night, saying he had ‘mispronounced’ the word but had meant ‘no malice’. On Twitter he slammed users who suggested he had used the term deliberately
‘These words have no place on News10NBC’s air, and the fact that we broadcast them disheartens and Shape Kapseln disgusts me; that it was not caught immediately is inexcusable.
‘I am terribly sorry to all of our viewers. We are redoubling our efforts to ensure that this never happens again.’
Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren had called for his dismissal, saying it was ‘wrong, hurtful and infuriating’ that the term was broadcast.
‘It is beyond unacceptable that this occurred. There must be real consequences for the news personality involved and also for the management team that failed to immediately apologize and address the slur,’ he said.
Martin Luther King