The Weather Channel apologizes after anti-Black slur airs during local broadcast
The Weather Channel apologized to viewers after a racial slur appeared during a local broadcast, prompting an investigation by the Atlanta-based network.
The graphic containing an anti-Black slur was immediately removed after it aired during a “Local on the 8s” segment in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, July 21, local outlets reported.
Journalist Matthew Keys called attention to the incident on Twitter and shared a photo of the graphic that read: “This is your weather my (expletive).”
“I’ve blurred it, but I’m pretty sure you can figure out what it said,” Keys wrote.
The cable news channel said it’s working to figure out how the offensive graphic ended up on air.
“We removed this graphic as soon as we learned of it,” the network said in a statement posted to Facebook. “This did not originate with us, and we are in the process of investigating it further. We apologize to our viewers.”
Media mogul Byron Allen bought The Weather Channel for $310 million in 2018, becoming the first African American to acquire a 24-hour news channel, CBS News reported. More recently, Allen purchased the Black News Channel for $11 million after the cable news outlet declared bankruptcy and shut down in March.
This story was originally published July 27, 2022 at 5:40 PM with the headline "The Weather Channel apologizes after anti-Black slur airs during local broadcast."