CBC News has taken disciplinary action against journalist Wendy Mesley in light of her admission that she used a racist slur on two separate occasions during editorial meetings in the past year.
Chuck Thompson, CBC’s head of public affairs, said an internal review confirmed Mesley “used offensive language” last fall and again recently, but a statement from Mesley has made it clear she used the N-word.
Thompson wouldn’t specify what disciplinary action is being taken against Mesley, who has been off the air for about three weeks during the review.
Please take a look at the following pic.twitter.com/2qSVbzmdSV
— Wendy Mesley (@WendyMesleyCBC) June 25, 2020
On her Twitter account Thursday, Mesley said she “used a word, and yes, it’s the word people think” during a call with colleagues while preparing for a segment of “The Weekly” about anti-racism earlier this month.
Mesley said she used it “not as a slur,” but while quoting a word that a journalist had been called — a journalist they were considering as a panellist on the show.
She said she thought by saying the full word, she “was somehow exposing the truth,” but now realizes her “abuse of the word was harmful” and she’s “deeply sorry and ashamed.”
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