NBC affiliate KGW-TV, a television station based in Portland, Oregon, issued a public apology after inadvertently airing a racially offensive image during a segment meant to uplift and entertain viewers Thursday night.
During “The Good Stuff,” which has a “Throwback Thursday” segment that features viewer-submitted images intended to be “cheesy, silly or memorable,” a photo from the 1950s was broadcast showing children throwing balls at a sign bearing a racial slur.
The photo sparked immediate backlash, prompting the station to quickly respond with a statement of regret.
KGW issued the following statement:
We deeply regret and apologize for the distress caused by the inadvertent broadcast of offensive content during Thursday evening's broadcast The good thing program on KGW.
During a segment that invited viewers to share “Throwback Thursday” photos across social media platforms, we unfortunately broadcast an image that contained extremely racist imagery and language. The photo, which appears to be from the 1950s, depicts children throwing balls toward a sign that prominently displays the “N” word.
Despite our strict policy of thoroughly vetting all content for standards and accuracy before broadcast, we admit we failed to adhere to our own standards in this case.
We understand the profound harm this image has caused to our viewers and staff, especially members of our Black community. To those who were exposed to and harmed by the image, we offer our sincere apologies.
We have re-evaluated our policies regarding the broadcast of user-generated content from social media and have taken internal steps to address the error. Additionally, KGW leadership has actively collaborated with Black community leaders and government officials to acknowledge our failure and offer our apologies for the harm we have caused.
As a company, we are committed to promoting inclusivity and compassion. While we acknowledge our failure on this occasion, we are committed to restoring the trust that was damaged by the broadcast of this offensive image. We recognize the importance of accountability and will work hard to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
He watches:
Shouts! Oregon TV station KGW-TV apologizes after showing racist image during 'Good News' segment (@:21)
“We understand the profound harm this image has caused to our viewers and staff, especially members of our Black community. To those who were exposed to the image and… pic.twitter.com/r9GlWUwMvc
– Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 18, 2024
Following these statements, KGW management engaged in discussion with black community pastors, NAACP leaders, the mayor, and government employees about the incident.
“I met this morning with Portland NAACP leaders, James Posey and Reverend Hennessy, 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 anything like this from happening,” said Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. In the future”.
