A caller on C-SPAN was cut off on air for using the phrase “colored people” while addressing Black and Asian guests on a show.
The guests were Ebony McMorris, a White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, and Nicholas Wu, a Politico congressional reporter. They were invited to discuss the week’s news on the “Washington Journal” on Monday.
“I want to know if we can cut out some of these liberal things that are going on in America, just like on the TV now, we have two minorities. And I’m not against you minorities …” a caller on the program said before he was interrupted by C-SPAN host Pedro Echevarria.
“Caller, that shouldn’t be a factor. The guests we invite to our program we did invite, so what’s your question or comment for them please?” Echevarria replied.
“When I was a little boy, listen, I’m 83 years old. I was a little boy, the colored people …” the caller continued before he was stopped by Echevarria.
“OK, we’re going to stop it there,” Echevarria said. “Apologies for that.”
A clip of the segment was shared to Twitter by NBC News Producer for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Ben Pu. He hailed the restraint of both McMorris and Wu by tweeting, “The restraint shown here is just 🤌… gotta hand it to @E_N_McMorris and @nicholaswu12.”
C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” program provides a forum aimed at educating viewers on national issues. The program invites lawmakers and journalists to discuss news of the day and address caller questions.
Feature Image via @BenPu_nbc
