A local television station in St.Louis is apologizing after using an outdated racial term during a recent broadcast.
On February 26, KMOV-TV anchor Cory Stark was setting up a story about Black homeowners and appraisals when he used the word “colored” to refer to them.
Stark apologized the day after the on-air incident according to NBC News reports. “Last night at this time, I read an outdated racial term on air during a story. The word should have never come out of my mouth, and it does not reflect who I am or what First Alert 4 represents,” anchor Stark said according to NBC News. “It was unacceptable, and we are meeting with community members as we strive to do better every day.”
In a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, JD Sosnoff, general manager of the station, a CBS Affiliate, said the phrase was originally written as “homeowners of color” but had been “inadvertently changed and mistakenly read on air.
“We regret the error and apologized to our viewers,” he added.
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) condemned the comments and expressed concern over the station’s editorial process.
“It is upsetting that such a slur would make it to air. The term is outdated, offensive, and racist,” the association wrote in a statement Friday. “We are concerned that no one in the KMOV newsroom caught this error, and we question KMOV’s editorial process when it comes to cultural awareness.”
“Given that St. Louis’ population is 43% Black, and the city is no stranger to racial strife, we would hope KMOV would be more sensitive in how it covers the Black community,” it added.
The NABJ also recommended diversity, equity, and inclusion training for employees at KMOV and its parent company, Grey Television.
