ST. LOUIS - St. Louis news person Kevin Steincross of KTVI-TV has apologized for what he has described "an unintentional racial slur" in the 5 a.m. Thursday morning broadcast.
The St. Louis newscaster mispronounced Martin Luther King’ Jr.’s name as “Martin Luther Coon Jr. when talking about an upcoming tribute to the civil rights icon at St. Louis University.
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The Associated Press released a story about the slur incident Thursday afternoon.
"I want to take a moment to apologize," Steincross later on the air at 9 a.m.” “We have heard from a viewer about a mistake I made in our 5 a.m. newscast. In our story about the tribute to Dr. King, I, unfortunately, mispronounced his name. Please know I have total respect for Dr. King, what he meant and what he continues to mean to our country. This was not intentional in any way and I sincerely apologize."
Tribune Broadcasting described the incident as an unfortunate mistake and said there are no disciplinary measures planned against the broadcaster.
"The Fox2 management team spoke to Kevin following the mistake and we believe that it was truly inadvertent and does not reflect Kevin’s core beliefs," a Tribune spokesperson said a written statement. "Kevin is extremely upset by the mistake and regrets it deeply."
The St. Louis County chapter of the NAACP issued a comment about the mispronunciation Thursday, saying it was very disappointing and unacceptable.”
Earlier in January, New York meteorologist Jeremy Kappell lost his position after speaking about the weather at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in Rochester. Kappell said it looked gray at “Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Park.” Three days later it was announced he was no longer an employee of the station.
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