Chris Baker has been fired from iHeartMedia’s KFAB-AM where he hosted afternoons. Baker posted a Tweet shortly after the Derek Chauvin verdict in the George Floyd case, headlined “Guilty!” beneath it was an image of four dancing Black native men in loincloths. Here’s his explanation.
Baker told the Lincoln Journal-Star his tweet was a boomer Twitter moment. “That’s not me, that’s not who I really am.”
He told the paper the picture was posted inadvertently, that he selected the wrong image while he was doing other things and he tried to take the tweet down right away but struggled to do so. “There’s a difference between being intentional and being a fat-fingered boomer on Twitter. I don’t look at Black people that way.”
Baker said he meant to post a picture of people celebrating and doesn’t expect people to believe his explanation. “I apologize for a stupid move. I apologize for the mistake.”
iHeart Nebraska Area President Taylor Walet issued the following statement: “Please know that this does not represent our viewpoint or our values, and we take this situation very seriously. Accordingly, Chris Baker’s employment with our company has been terminated.”
Of course this guy said he didn’t mean to do it. All the garbage racists say that, when they get caught or fired.
Think before you tweet!
Even if he fat fingered the image, he could have deleted it as soon as it went up and appeared to be the wrong image. So, that excuse is weak. Fact is, we have so many snowflakes in our society now that any attempt to be “funny” by poking fun at any particular group will easily get you cancelled. It’s a shame that a dumb thing like this may cost him his career, but he should have known better. What a mistake…
And yes, Walet is nauseatingly self-righteous and full of hypocritical crap – like so many other corporate types out there.
I worked for Taylor Walet some years ago and he was an excellent boss. I was chief engineer of a cluster of stations that he managed for another group owner. As for Chris Baker…this country has become a tinderbox on racial issues. He should know better than to post such trash on Twitter.
iHeart Nebraska Area President Taylor Walet…is so self-righteous. iHeart…why the radio industry is such a cesspool.