"I believe that we have not accurately depicted and continue to utilize words that are offensive when it comes to people of color," Warren said. Warren described it as part of the Rochester media's problem when it comes to the use of offensive words as they relate to people of color. Rochester City Council, and the Rochester Association of Black Journalists have also condemned the language used. Spectrum News will not repeat the word, but Mayor Lovely Warren called it a racial slur, wrongful, hurtful, and infuriating. Kappell was fired for something he said while referencing a photo of the ice rink at Rochester's Dr. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren called for his firing over the weekend, and Monday, WHEC 10 announced meteorologist Jeremy Kappell had been fired following an internal investigation. He apologized and was allowed to keep his job.Ī petition calling for Kappell's reinstatement had 35,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.A local TV weatherman lost his job for a racial slur he said on the air Friday. But he’s far from the first person to use the same slur on national television.ĮSPN personality Mike Greenberg flubbed King’s name in the exact same way during a broadcast of “Mike and Mike in the Morning” in 2010. That year, he eventually took a job in Louisville. The Courier article stated he would handle weekend duties for the rest of the month. He was filling in for David Heckard, who shifted to “Daybreak.” In November 2011, thanks to reshuffling at News25, Kappell temporarily nabbed the role of weekend meteorologist. And according to the Evansville Courier archives, he briefly landed on Evansville TVs. Kappell has worked all over the country, including two stops in Louisville. Since then his story has rocketed around the Internet. “The individual responsible for the slur should no longer be employed at Channel 10,” she said.īy Sunday, WHEC-TV agreed, firing Kappell. That included Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, who issued a statement on Sunday castigating Kappell and the station, which she said took too long to respond. Watch Video: Reaction: Racist slur recalls brutal time for black people in the South Martin Luther King Jr.”īut WHEC viewers who rushed to social media to call for his firing didn’t agree. I would never want to tarnish the reputation of such a great man as Dr. If you did feel that it hurt you in any way, I sincerely apologize. “… That was not a word that I said, I promise you that. “There was no malice,” he said in an apology video posted to Facebook. After all, only a spectacularly brazen and/or stupid racist would say something that vile on purpose. Kappell has sworn over and over that it was a slip of the tongue sparked by talking too fast. "Coon" has long been used as a racial slur against African Americans. “If you look out at Martin Luther Coon … King Jr. Park.īut instead of saying Martin Luther King, Kappell uttered the word that got him fired. The incident stemmed from a Friday broadcast in which Kappell cut to a live shot of an ice rink at Rochester’s Martin Luther King Jr. Jeremy Kappell, former chief meteorologist for WHEC-TV in Rochester, New York, who apparently appeared on News25 airwaves in 2011, was fired over the weekend when several viewers accused him of using a racial slur on air. Watch Video: Meteorologist fired for slur explains what really happenedĪ meteorologist making national news for horrible reasons briefly worked in Evansville.
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