A slur or a slip-up? Meteorologist is fired, city is roiled
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Did a TV meteorologist broadcast a racial slur or simply flub a line?
That polarizing question has reverberated in Rochester, New York, and beyond since WHEC fired Jeremy Kappell after he apparently referred to a park named for the slain civil rights leader as “Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Park.”
Rochester’s mayor, who is black, called the words hurtful. Kappell explained it was a mispronunciation. NBC weatherman and personality Al Roker tweeted in Kappell’s defense. And online arguments persisted over whether Kappell’s slip-up revealed racial malice or just a slip of the tongue on live TV.
The station and its parent company stood by its decision in a statement Tuesday night, saying they believe they have done what is right for the station and the community.
