The NAACP is calling on KVTI to remove anchor Kevin Steincross after he used a racial slur while saying Martin Luther King Jr.’s name on air last week.
According to the St. Louis Dispatch, local NAACP leaders met with station officials on Monday demanding action be taken.
Steincross was doing a story about Martin Luther King tribute on Jan. 17 when he said “Martin Luther Coon Jr.” in his copy. He later came back on the air and apologized for accidentally using the racial slur. “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.”
At the time, a station spokesperson said there were no plans to fire Steincross.
Earlier this month, WHEC meteorologist Jeremy Kappell was fired for using the same racial slur when talking about King on the air. He was terminated immediately for what he called a “verbal slip.”