The CTV Television Network has reportedly fired a Canadian journalist who made a racist joke about his Asian barber and the ongoing novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
Peter Akman, who was blasted online for his tweet earlier this month, is no longer with the network, according to journalist Sean Craig.
“A spokesperson for Bell Media confirms that Peter Akman, one of the presenters of CTV’s investigative news show W5, is no longer with the company,” Craig tweeted. “He tweeted this four days ago.”
Akman was a reporter in conflict zones before working for CTV W5, Straight reported. He graduated with an English and communications degree at Simon Fraser University in 1999 and received an outstanding SFU alumni award in 2018.
Akman reached out to NextShark following the backlash, apologizing for the racist tweet.
“I understand the reason for the anger and this post,” he said. “Honestly there was no intent. My barber, who is my friend, was offering everyone masks. Badly written and I’m sorry.”
Feature Image via @PeterAkman
