MSNBC Reporter Accused Of Saying N-Word During Kobe Bryant Coverage — See Her Explanation!

M.B.

Well, we can all agree this was an unfortunate slip of the tongue — but how unfortunate depends on whom you ask…

Amid the stress of reporting on the unexpected death of Kobe Bryant, a new MSNBC anchor named Alison Morris is finding herself at the center of an even more unexpected controversy.

Related: Kobe’s Reason For Taking Helicopters Will Bring You To Tears

Morris, who was hired as a full-time anchor just six months ago in July of last year, was discussing the NBA star’s career when she flubbed her words, saying:

“It seems like he was just the kind of athlete, the kind of star, who was perfectly cast on the Los Angeles…”

And that’s where it gets a little hazy. Watch this fan recorded clip to watch for yourself:

What did YOU hear?? Quite a few people are pretty certain she accidentally said the N-word before correcting herself and saying “Lakers.” The clip went viral over the next few hours, leading to calls by many on Twitter for the anchor to be fired.

However, there are many defending Morris, giving her the benefit of the doubt that the flub was an innocent instance of getting tongue tied and NOT a racist Freudian slip. The anchor herself tried to explain exactly what happened, tweeting:

“Earlier today, while reporting on the tragic news of Kobe Bryant’s passing, I unfortunately stuttered on air, combining the names of the Knicks and the Lakers to say “Nakers.” Please know I did not & would NEVER use a racist term. I apologize for the confusion this caused.”

That certainly tracks as an explanation. Anchors are often fed information in their ear pieces during breaking news stories, and it’s possible she just got jumbled and said some version of “Nakers” or even more of a “Knickers.”

However, a lot of folks just aren’t buying it! They think it was her behind-closed-doors racism slipping out and want MSNBC to drop her. And of course, because it’s liberal-leaning MSNBC the movement is also getting support from right wingers on social media trying to foment distrust of the media.

That brings up an interesting question: would Morris have as many defenders if she were on Fox News, which employs hosts who regularly espouse racist and xenophobic talking points out loud, on purpose? We do wonder…

What do YOU think, Perezcious readers? Did she get tongue tied on the exact wrong words? Or was she thinking hateful thoughts and let them slip out??

[Image via Brian To/WENN/NBC News/YouTube.]

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