Weather Channel Apologizes For N-Word Appearing On TV Broadcast In Iowa
The Weather Channel denies knowing how a racial slur appeared on TV screens Thursday (July 21) during a weather report broadcast in Des Moines, Iowa, and issued an apology to viewers.
Journalist Matthew Keys ignited a social media storm Friday (July 22) when he posted a tweet calling attention to the offensive racial epithet in the network’s weather graphic that said, “This is your weather my N-words.”
“The Weather Channel confirms this graphic accidentally made it on air in the Des Moines market on Thursday during a "Locals on the 8s" segment,” Keys wrote. “I've blurred it, but I'm pretty sure you can figure out what it said.”
In response, The Weather Channel, which Byron Allen’s Allen Media acquired in 2018 for $300 million, said it’s investigating exactly what happened.
“A graphic during The Weather Channel cable network’s ‘Local on the 8s’ presentation in Des Moines last evening included a racial slur. We removed this graphic as soon as we learned of it. This did not originate with us, and we are in the process of investigating it further. We apologize to our viewers,” the network said Friday (July 22) on Facebook.
Keys, citing a source, speculated that the offensive graphic “originated at the cable head-end.”
