What did Cory Stark say? KMOV news anchor issues apology over using outdated racial term

On February 26, 2024, Cory Stark, a news anchor for St. Louis TV station KMOV (a CBS affiliate owned by Gray Television), referred to minority homeowners as “colored” while “previewing a story on racial bias on home appraisals,” as reported by the New York Post.

The news outlet also reported that it was a “mistake” for which Cory Stark eventually issued an on-air apology.

“The word should have never come out of my mouth, and it does not reflect who I am or what First Alert 4 represents.”

According to KMOV General Manager and Vice President JD Sosnoff’s statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the expression was originally meant to be read as “homeowners of color” before it was “inadvertently changed and mistakenly read on air.”

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Exploring the Cory Stark controversy

Last week, KMOV host Cory Stark was setting up a story on minority homeowners and the discrimination they face during home appraisals when he stated:

“Tonight, colored homeowners are sounding the alarm when it comes to undervalued home appraisals.”

In the wake of this, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) criticized the use of the word “colored” and described it as “outdated, offensive, and racist.” The organization also observed that St. Louis comprises 43 percent of the Black population and was “no stranger to racial strife.”

Meanwhile, KMOV tagged the use of the term as an error and said they regretted it. The TV station also issued an apology via multiple broadcasts on the channel. Cory Stark, too, shared a mea culpa on-air, saying he should not have uttered the term and the mistake did not “reflect” who he was.

He added that KMOV was meeting minority community members as they “strive to do better” every day while reportedly hinting that the error happened due to the teleprompter.

NABJ however claimed that Cory Stark and KMOV were trying to do damage control for the alleged slip-up when the latter should focus on retraining the employees on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” and “recruit and retain black staffers,” both on and off-air, as reported by the New York Post.

According to People, NABJ stated they were “appalled and disappointed” that “such a slur would make it to air” and said that before Cory Stark, someone in the KMOV newsroom should have caught the blunder.

They even questioned the channel’s “editorial process” and “cultural awareness.” They hoped the TV station would henceforth be “more sensitive in how it covers the Black community.” They claimed KMOV contacted them “to learn how to educate the newsroom on issues” within the African American community following the incident.

President Ken Lemon and Vice President-Broadcast Walter Smith Randolph of NABJ also issued a joint statement saying they looked forward to discussing the matter with KMOV’s management.

“However, this further shows the fight for equal treatment and fair coverage is not over. We hope these discussions will be fruitful and yield documentable results,” they added.

In contrast, John Bowman, the president of the St. Louis County NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he did not think Stark intended to offend minority communities.

“Trust me, I’ve had enough experience dealing with people who intentionally show discrimination or racist behavior. But I’ve interacted with Cory Stark, and at no time have I ever felt that about him,” Bowman said.

As per St. Louis Today, KMOV is a CBS affiliate headquartered in Maryland Heights. It is locally owned by Gray Television.

Daily Mail reported that Cory Stark is an award-winning journalist whose online bio claims that he was “one of the first reporters on the scene in Ferguson after the killing of Michael Brown Jr.,” an incident that eventually led to global advocacy for police reform.