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ST. LOUIS (AP) — The NAACP wants a St. Louis-area TV station to fire a newscaster for what he called an unintentional racial slur while talking about Martin Luther King Jr.
KTVI newscaster Kevin Steincross was discussing a tribute to the black civil rights leader on Jan. 17, when he referred to King as "Martin Luther coon Jr." He apologized a few hours later, saying he accidentally misspoke.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the St. Louis County NAACP plans to ask the TV station to fire Steincross when they meet Monday.
Owner Tribune Broadcasting has said KTVI believed Steincross' statement was an inadvertent mistake and that it doesn't plan to discipline him.
NAACP chapter president, John Gaskin, said even if people believe the comment was a mistake, some mistakes are grounds for termination.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com
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