Weatherman fired for saying Martin Luther Coon Park

Post Reply New Topic

A television station in Rochester, New York, fired a meteorologist Sunday after he used a racial slur on air.

During WHEC-TV's Friday evening broadcast, Jeremy Kappell said "Martin Luther Coon Park," when referring to a downtown Rochester park named after slain civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In a video viewed by CNN, Kappell says "King" immediately after using the slur and continues with the broadcast.

Kappell said his use of the slur was a mistake caused by speaking too quickly.

"What happened on Friday, to me, it's a simple misunderstanding. If you watch me regularly you know that I tend to contain a lot of information in my weather cast, which forces me to speak fast and 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 words. In my mind I knew I mispronounced, but there was no malice. I had no idea the way it came across to many people," he said in a video posted to Facebook Monday night.

Kappell said as soon as he heard the mispronunciation he "put emphasis on 'King' and moved on."

WHEC's vice president and general manager Richard A. Reingold said in a statement released Sunday that Kappell was fired after an internal investigation and discussion.

"I apologize for our broadcast of a racial slur in a reference to Martin Luther King, Jr. Park during our Friday evening broadcast," Reingold said. He added that the station believes in holding reporters and anchors "to the highest standard."

"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," Reingold said.

Reingold said the station's decision to fire Kappell was not influenced by the call from the city's mayor.

"We learned about this Sunday morning, unfortunately quite a while after the incident happened. The minute we learned about it we jumped on it," he said on air Sunday. "We came to the decision we did sometime before I knew of Mayor Warren's position. So I welcome her position, I understand it, I respect it, but it did not have any impact on our decision because we didn't know about it."

Kappell said he was not satisfied with the station's response to the incident.

"I'm so disappointed that my career could end this way and I'm extremely disappointed by my television station, whom I expect a certain level of support from and I did not receive at all," he said.

"Dr. Freud? Your slip is showing ..."

So people aren't allowed to make accidental mistakes?

"Martin Luther Coon" is a common racial slur made by racists. I doubt there was anything accidental about it, other than the fact that his true feelings slipped out.

I wonder how many of us could withstand all of our true feelings and hidden thoughts being exposed. Do you not have nothing to hide? And what should be done to you if it becomes revealed?

This guy revealed he harbors racist hate that shouldn't be rationalized away.
Sure, I have some pretty dark feelings, but I like to think I'm not going to spew them publicly.

What if those dark feelings slips out one time in the span of half a second? How should you be held accountable? Select your punishment.

If I ever do, I hope I have enough courage to accept responsibility for my slip, instead of saying I had never even thought such a thing, like this guy did.