- KGW apologized for “deeply racist images and language” aired Thursday night
- The station aired a photo as part of a segment on The Good Stuff that showed children throwing balls at a sign bearing the N-word.
- Network bosses have pledged to review internal policies on broadcasting viewer-submitted content.
An Oregon news station was forced to apologize after it broadcast the N-word in the “throwback” segment of one of its broadcasts.
KGW said it “deeply regrets and apologizes” for the mishap that occurred during Thursday night’s broadcast of The Good Stuff.
The segment invited viewers to share a “cheesy, silly or memorable photo from the past” as part of “Throwback Thursday.”
But a slideshow that aired later included a photo with “deeply racist imagery and language.” The image, apparently from the 1950s, showed children throwing balls toward a sign that prominently displayed the N-word, according to the station.
“Despite our rigorous policy of thoroughly vetting all content for standards and accuracy before broadcast, we acknowledge our failure to uphold our own standards in this case,” broadcaster bosses said in a statement.
KGW has been forced to apologize after it used the N-word in the ‘throwback’ segment of one of its broadcasts on Thursday night.
The image, apparently from the 1950s, showed children throwing balls toward a sign that prominently displayed the N-word, according to the station.
‘We understand the deep pain this image caused our viewers and staff, particularly members of our black community. To those who were exposed to the image and were hurt by it, we offer our sincerest apologies.’
The statement added that KGW has reevaluated policies regarding the transmission of user-submitted content from social media and “took internal steps to address the error.”
KGW said its leadership has also engaged with Black community leaders and government officials, “to acknowledge our failure and extend our apologies for the harm caused.”
The apology came after viewers pointed out the blatant oversight in angry comments on the station’s Facebook page.
“I’m incredibly angry right now,” wrote regular watcher Joshua Gregory. ‘I’ve been watching KGW for YEARS. It’s time to move on to a different season.
‘What a disgrace. Someone is not reviewing these user-submitted images or they are racist. KGW needs to apologize on air right now. Disgusting.’
‘Hey, I think everyone showed something horrible during the final ‘throwback’ photos just now, if I’m not mistaken. Tanya Pluth wrote. “I can’t tell if my brain wasn’t working or if I really saw what I saw… please share a correction and apology if it was as bad as it seemed.”
Portland Chapter NAACP leaders James Posey and Pastor JW Matt Hennessee said they were “horrified” by the “explicitly racist” error in a statement given to the network.
Furious viewers pointed out the “deeply racist images and language” shown in The Good Stuff segment.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler met with NAACP Portland Chapter leaders to discuss what steps could be taken to rectify the situation.
‘We hope that KGW management will immediately clarify how and why this occurred.
“We will provide an updated response once more information is gathered and ask that the community walk with us as we learn more,” the statement said.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler also issued a statement in response.
‘This morning I met with NAACP Portland Chapter leaders James Posey and Pastor Hennessee to discuss the deeply disturbing graphic shared by KGW News.
“Together, we call on KGW to immediately address this issue and ensure changes are made to prevent something like this from happening in the future,” Wheeler said.