Kobe Bryant death: MSNBC anchor Alison Morris denies claim she used 'N' word while talking about Lakers
NBA legend Kobe Bryant's death in a chopper crash sent shock waves throughout the world. Unfortunately, there have been a few slip-ups in reporting the tragic event and one such was by MSNBC news anchor Alison Morris.
While reporting the death of Kobe on January 26, Alison stuttered on the word Lakers (of Los Angeles Lakers, the basketball team Kobe played for). Many viewers claimed she pronounced it as ''n*****s" (a racial slur). Since then, the anchor has come under fire. She did share a tweet explaining that it was a mistake and she had only said "Nakers" and not the offensive term people are taking it to be.
"Earlier today, while reporting on the tragic news of Kobe Bryant’s passing, I, unfortunately, stuttered on-air, combining the names of the Knicks and the Lakers to say "Nakers". Please know I did not & would NEVER use a racist term. I apologize for the confusion this caused," she had tweeted. But, the online world is tearing her down for being so insensitive.
"Girl just quit it’s Over for you. On behalf of the internet, we don’t forgive you," a fan wrote.
"If you understand white supremacy and know its insidious history with the media, you understand that these instances of misspeaking are not accidental," another user shared online.
"Total malarkey. Even so, you were way too chipper and unprofessional. Journalists, when reporting on such things, need to have a degree of empathy for the audience that is listening/watching. Your lack of self-awareness today was amazing. You do not belong on the national stage," a user posted online, while another tweeted: "This apology is wildly inadequate. You reduced a racial slur to a "stutter" on camera. You said what you said, and everyone heard it. Shame on you & @msnbc for not owning it (or at least making us all believe that it was truly a mistake)."
Kobe was among nine people killed in a chopper crash at Calabasas Mountains, California, on January 26.