WDIV Reporter Lauren Podell Resigns Over Alleged Racist Remarks

(Posted on Nov. 17, 2016) A veteran Metro Detroit television reporter has resigned after allegations she used a racial slur in an off-air conversation with a colleague, the Detroit Free Press reports. Civil rights activists called for an apology and the resignation of the reporter, WDIV's Lauren Podell after her alleged use of the pejorative was referenced in a Facebook post that claimed the nine-year veteran reporter had said to her colleague, "I am tired of reporting on these (slur) killing one another in Detroit.”

The post was by Detroit activist Sam Riddle, who said in a news release the alleged remark was corroborated by "unimpeachable multiple sources" before he updated his Facebook status. The post sparked outrage among African-American community leaders, including the Rev. W.J. Rideout, pastor of All God’s People Church, who called for a boycott of the station and planned a rally outside the station's downtown studio.

WDIV Vice President Marla Drutz, who received an email about the controversy from Rideout on Monday, reportedly responded that the station had investigated "swiftly" and "throughly " and had taken appropriate action.

By Wednesday, Podell had resigned.

Photo by Hubert Figuière via Flickr Commons