KTVU information anchor Frank Somerville has once more been faraway from the air, based on reporting from The Mercury News.
Somerville, 63, has reportedly been “suspended indefinitely” by Channel 2 administration, following a disagreement over ongoing protection of the Gabby Petito lacking particular person and murder case.
The battle reportedly got here to a head after the physique of Petito had been found in Wyoming earlier this week, after she had been reported lacking whereas on a cross nation tenting journey along with her boyfriend.
The seek for Petito has sparked a nationwide media frenzy, although some within the journalism trade, most prominently MSNBC’s Pleasure Reid, have argued the eye it has acquired as undue. Reid is amongst those that consider protection of Petito’s disappearance is an instance of the media phenomenon late journalist and broadcaster Gwen Ifill described as “lacking White lady syndrome,” throughout which the media supplies a lopsided give attention to lacking white girls and ladies with out offering equal protection for related instances of lacking girls of shade.
Somerville, who’s the daddy of a Black adopted daughter, reportedly shared these beliefs, wanting so as to add a short tagline critiquing the extraordinary media protection Petito’s story had garnered on the finish of a deliberate straight information report updating the small print of the case. His request reportedly sparked disagreement with KTVU information director Amber Eikel, who mentioned the tagline was inappropriate. Somerville was reportedly knowledgeable by station administration of his “indefinite suspension” the subsequent day.
The information comes mere weeks after Somerville returned to KTVU airwaves following an unexplained nine-week absence from the station’s “The Ten O’Clock Information” present. Instantly previous to his summer season absence, Somerville repeatedly slurred and tripped over his phrases whereas studying off a teleprompter throughout a Might 30 newscast.
A spokesperson for KTVU couldn’t be reached for remark.
