A Texas-based affiliate station of ABC terminated it’s contract with the company that provides closed-captioning services after calling a black victim of the Conditt bombings “this monkey” via type.
Newsweek reports that KVUE-TV issued an apology this week after a story aired on 17-year old bombing victim Draylen Mason. A viewer at home had the closed caption feature enabled on his television and noticed Mason being referred to as “this monkey” before a correction followed calling Mason “this young man.”
VITAC, the company providing closed-captioning services, is reportedly complying with the investigation.
KVUE-TV ended it’s relationship on Thursday with VITAC due to Federal Communications Commission guidelines that required several steps to be taken in replacing the closed-captioning contract.
“Many of our viewers have asked why this wasn’t an immediate decision, and we want you to know that we’ve been working as fast as possible to secure a replacement to this service while adhering to FCC guidelines,” the statement continued. “We’d like to thank our viewers for sharing feedback on how important this decision is to our community.”
To watch the at-home viewer’s video, flip the page.