A St. Louis TV station has apologized after KMOV anchor Cory Stark used an outdated and offensive term, referring to Black homeowners as “colored” during a news broadcast.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the phrase was originally written as “homeowners of color” before it was “inadvertently changed and mistakenly read on air.”
“We regret the error and apologize to our viewers,” said general manager JD Sosnoff.
Stark apologized during the broadcast, saying, “The word should never have come out of my mouth, and it doesn’t reflect who I am or what First Alert 4 represents.”
The National Association of Black Journalists said in a statement, “We’re appalled and disappointed by the recent incident. It’s upsetting that such a slur would make it to air.”
“The term is outdated, offensive, and racist,” the NABJ continued. “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.”
They added, “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.”
According to reports, management at the station contacted NABJ “to learn how to educate the newsroom on issues within the Black community.”
NABJ President Ken Lemon and Vice President-Broadcast Walter Smith Randolph said they “look forward to these discussions with KMOV’s management” in the future.
However, they added, “This further shows the fight for equal treatment and fair coverage is not over. We hope these discussions will be fruitful and yield documentable results.”
St. Louis County NAACP President John Bowman quickly contacted KMOV about the broadcast, expressing doubt that the word was intentionally used to offend others.
“Trust me, I’ve had enough experience dealing with people who intentionally show discrimination or racist behaviors,” Bowman said. “But I’ve interacted with Cory Stark, and at no time have I ever felt that about him.”
However, the NABJ said KMOV’s efforts are “not enough” and that the station “should retrain their employees on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues while investing in recruiting and retaining Black employees on and off-air.”
“NABJ will continue to monitor this station and the efforts of Gray TV to enhance its processes and protocols to eliminate this and similar issues,” the association said in its statement.
