There are gaffes and then there are major gaffes.
Mike Hernandez, a meteorologist at San Antonio Fox affiliate KABB-TV since 2009, will be fighting for his job after his gaffe during Thursday’s morning newscast.
According to TV Spy, Hernandez was wrapping up the seven day forecast. When he got to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day he said, “Look at the highs bouncing back through the weekend and into Monday for Martin Luther coon..Martin Luther coo..uh, King day.”
“It was “absolutely” a slip of the tongue,” Hernandez, a native of San Antonio, told the San Antonio News. “I would never ever, ever say anything like that intentionally. It just came out.”
The station posted an apology to its facebook page that read in part, “We do not tolerate this language. We sincerely apologize to you, our viewers, for the use of this offensive language on our air. Please know that we take this seriously and we are taking action internally.”
Kevin Eck of TV Spy said the reaction on Facebook was overwhelmingly in Hernandez’ favor, “though only a few were from African-American viewers” How he determined that fact was difficult to determine.
In 2005 a Las Vegas weather man was fired for the same offense. It should be interesting to see if Hernandez survives.
NO APOLOGY NECESSARY
The station’s apology is inappropriate. There was no malcontent to justify referring to it as “this language”. Unless this person has a history in favor of racism, then such a slip should be noted and nothing more.
YOUR PERMANENT RECORD
Good news everyone! From this point forward, every mistake you make-regardless of scope-will be held against you on your permanent record!
SHOULD HAVE APOLOGIZED…
I refreshed the page to see the subject heading to my comment which states “NO APOLOGY NECESSARY”. My belief is contrary to this. The station should have stated an apology something to the affect of “We apologize if this mistake has offended any of our viewers”. Mistakes are rightfully apologized for as a social standard. I simply believe the stationhead/s chose an incorrect apology, in that, it did not match up to the mistake.
Do you think some viewers might NOT have been offended by calling MLK that name? By the way, how many fake names do you post under?
NOW ONLY AN EXAMPLE…
To answer your second question, unless your work/livlihood involves gaining internet notoriety, only a fool intentionally gives away personal information to the internet. Secondly, you hide incorrect assumptions within your first question: I only gave an example of what the station should have stated; additionally, do you sincerely believe the man intentionally “called MLK that name”?
This is unrelated to the topic but your subject headings to comments remind me of a show called Ghost Whisperer. The actress would always give her own interpretation of what the ghosts stated.
AND THE WORD IS “EFFECT”
Your heading “NOW ONLY AN EXAMPLE” is another incorrect interpretation. It seems as though my words “something to the affect of” were not noticed. ‘Something to the affect of’ was intended to indicate an example. Please do not misunderstand-I take no offense because it is a reasonable mistake to miss something like that. All beings are fallible by nature. But even though we can never achieve perfection, we should still strive for it.
SLIP OF TONGUE
After having read article, I am floored. Mr Hernandez has always seemed to carry himself very well and respect others. We are all entitled to mistakes. It was a slip of the tongue, which I am sure he meant nothing by. EVERYONE has misspoke at some time in their life, and I am sure were forgiven for it. Society today is breeding pansies!!! People get offended for just about anything now a days. It’s getting out of hand.
BUTT HURT
Get over it! I’ve heard way more offensive words come from a journalists mouth! Everyone needs to stop getting so butt-hurt over what other people say, do and think. That is all.
NOT FIRED
It has been confirmed, he will not be fired.
JUST A SLIP
I don’t think he should be fired it could have been a slip and that’s good enough for me.