Texas TV reporter under fire for ‘gorilla in the – Business News
A veteran Texas TV reporter is going through backlash after utilizing the phrase “gorilla in the room” whereas overlaying the carefully watched homicide trial of Karmelo Anthony — prompting her station’s mother or father company to problem a public apology and acknowledge the comment was inappropriate.
Rebecca Lopez, a senior crime and justice reporter for Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA, made the remark Tuesday during stay protection of Anthony’s trial whereas discussing tensions surrounding the case.
“Let’s talk a little bit about the big, uh, gorilla, so to speak,” she stated earlier than noting that people on each side of the case had been shouting racial slurs and that attorneys wished the proceedings to concentrate on the info relatively than race.
WFAA reporter Rebecca Lopez (left) stories from outdoors the courthouse during the Karmelo Anthony homicide trial. WFAA
The incident was first reported by Atlanta Black Star.
Anthony, 19, was sentenced to 35 years in jail for the 2025 homicide of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.
Because Anthony was a minor at the time of the killing, he was not eligible for the death penalty.
Lopez’s remark instantly ignited criticism online, with some viewers questioning whether or not she misspoke or deliberately substituted the phrase “gorilla in the room” for the more generally used expression “elephant in the room.”
A video of the second unfold on social media, the place critics argued that the wording was problematic and offensive as a result of the defendant in the case is black.
The remark was made at the 8:11 mark of the video beneath
One person who reposted the clip wrote that whereas reporters are entitled to supply evaluation during trial protection, the selection of phrases raised questions on “judgment, professionalism, and awareness.”
Others had been much less forgiving.
“She is a seasoned reporter. She should know better,” one commenter wrote on Instagram.
Another accused the station of missing professionalism, whereas others urged WFAA to clarify the comment.
Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in jail for the 2025 homicide of Austin Metcalf. Instagram/Andre Anthony
In a assertion supplied by Tegna, WFAA’s mother or father company, the broadcaster acknowledged the remark was inappropriate and sought to distance the newsroom from the controversy.
“Yesterday while reporting on the track meet stabbing trial, our reporter chose an idiom to describe dynamics in the courtroom that was inappropriate in this instance,” the company stated.
“This mistake in no way reflects the culture of our newsroom or tenor of our coverage.”
Austin Metcalf was the sufferer in the high-profile Texas homicide case. Meghan Prall Metcalf/Facebook
The company emphasised that its journalists are anticipated to observe strict skilled requirements.
“Our reporters are held to high standards and abide by the Principles of Ethical Journalism,” the assertion stated.
“We hope our long track record of fair, balanced and sensitive reporting, specifically on this case, speaks for itself.”
Tegna additionally pledged to stop a related incident from taking place again.
“We will do our very best to ensure this does not happen in the future,” the company stated.
Anthony was not eligible for the death penalty as a result of he was a minor at the time of the killing. Instagram/Kala Hayes Anthony
Tegna declined to say if Lopez was disciplined by the station.
She has labored at WFAA since 1998 and serves as the station’s senior crime and justice reporter. She has been one of the outlet’s main journalists overlaying high-profile prison circumstances in North Texas.
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the newest information, videos, photographs and more.
Thanks for signing up!
The Anthony case has drawn intense public consideration and generated heated debate online, with race often changing into a flashpoint regardless of repeated efforts by attorneys to keep the concentrate on the proof offered in courtroom.
According to Lopez’s report, demonstrators gathered outdoors the courthouse had exchanged racial slurs, underscoring the tensions surrounding the proceedings.
