Saying “there is no higher cause than unbiased, objective news reporting,” St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV has announced in a statement it has parted ways with anchor Larry Conners.
“We regret to announce that Larry Conners is no longer a KMOV news reporter,” said the statement from KMOV vice president and general manager Mark Pimentel. “Larry was a valued member of KMOV for a long time, and we will miss him.”
Conners was pulled off air last week after posting on facebook that the IRS had targeted him because of a tense interview he did with the President. He later backed off the allegations in an on-air statement telling viewers, “… to be fair, I should disclose that my issues with the IRS preceded that interview by several years.”
Conners facebook page has been taken down. You can read the KMOV statement after the jump.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Conners and his wife owe more than $85,000 in back taxes.
(KMOV) — We regret to announce that Larry Conners is no longer a KMOV news reporter. Larry was a valued member of KMOV for a long time, and we will miss him.
For KMOV, there is no higher cause than unbiased, objective news reporting. It is what our viewers expect and it is what we work very hard to deliver. We can accept no less. Larry is certainly entitled to his opinion, but taking a personal political position on one of the Station’s Facebook pages creates an appearance of bias that is inconsistent with important journalistic standards. Larry’s departure has nothing to do with the particular position he took, but it does have to do with our belief that his actions made it impossible for him to report for KMOV on certain political matters going forward without at least an appearance of bias. Bringing you accurate and unbiased reporting is the reason we exist.
Mark Pimentel
KMOV TV President & GM