Channel 4 news presenter, Matt Frei apologises for using racially offensive term when describing Barack Obama
Matt Frei apologised saying, the phrase 'apparently has a history I simply wasn't aware of'
A Channel 4 news reporter has apologised, after using a racially offensive term to describe Barack Obama.
Matt Frei said Mr Obama was “smiling like a split watermelon” when he met Pope Francis in Washington.
Watermelon is historically considered a racist term in the U.S which dates back to a stereotype that African Americans particularly like the fruit
Following Mr Frei’s report, former British NBA player, John Amaechi OBE voiced concern on Twitter:
Swiftly after the broadcast, Mr Frei apologised, saying “it was intended as an entirely innocent phrase that apparently has a history I simply wasn’t aware of”.
Mr Amaechi appeared to concede that the incident was a misunderstanding but advised Mr Frei to stick other phrases in the future:
Mr Frei is currently a presenter and the Europe editor of Channel 4 News, he was previously the Washington correspondent for the broadcaster.
Prior to this, he was Washington correspondent and American news bulletin presenter for BBC world news.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies