Former St. Louis anchor Julius Hunter is taking former KMOV anchor Larry Conners to task in an Op-Ed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Conners was let go at KMOV after posting allegations on his facebook page the IRS was targeting him after a tense interview with President Obama. He recently filed a discrimination suit with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights and EEOC. In the complaint, Conners says he got paid less than a female African-American former co-anchor because of his race and his gender.
Hunter wrote in his Post-Dispatch piece, “First of all, what’s all this stuff about racial discrimination directed at an anchor? Seems like I survived some heavy-duty, Grade-A Large racism being the first African-American reporter/anchor in a regular St. Louis prime time TV slot. Survived it unscathed for 33 years.”
To read the entire piece, click here.
In addressing Conners’ allegations he was scrutinized by the IRS after his interview with President Obama, Hunter said,
I’ve tried hard, and failed, to see if I could remember any relativity between tough interviews with presidents and income taxes. I’ve had exclusive interviews with six incumbent presidents. Even had brief chats with Bush II and presidential candidate Barack Obama. Asked tough questions of all. Check the transcripts. I led off my 1982 exclusive with Republican President Reagan with: “Mr. President, if the polls are to be believed you’re not a popular president among such groups as environmentalists, the poor, blacks, educators and organized labor.” No IRS harassment followed.
Hunter ends his missive with these sage words of advice,
There’s still time in this increasingly embarrassing airing of dirty laundry for the Anchorman’s Prayer: “O, God… make my words sweet today … for I might have to eat them tomorrow.” Amen.