The NAACP's Oakland chapter wants veteran anchor Frank Somerville back on the air at KTVU after the Fox-owned-and-operated station indefinitely suspended him, reportedly following editorial clash over its coverage of the Gabby Petito case and the media's reporting on missing women of color.
In a Tuesday letter to station general manager Mellynda Hartel that was obtained by both Bay Area News Group and the San Francisco Chronicle, branch president George Holland called on KTVU to reinstate Somerville, hold a public discussion on coverage disparities and examine the consistency of its own editorial decisions.
"We appreciate Mr. Somerville’s integrity and willingness to ask incisive questions that challenge those inside and outside his bubble," Holland wrote. "Instead of punishing him, KTVU should be honoring him and elevating his example."
Each paper reported that the Oakland NAACP will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. on Sunday outside of KTVU's Oakland newsroom in Jack London Square.
The NAACP Oakland Branch didn’t respond to a request for comment from KCBS Radio. We will update this story when we hear back.
Somerville, who is white and the adoptive father of a Black girl, reportedly was suspended last week after wanting to include an addendum to the latest reporting on the disappearance of Petito, who is also white. His commentary reportedly highlighted the discrepancies in media coverage of missing white women and women of color, as well as the higher rates of domestic violence the latter group experiences.
Amber Eikel, KTVU's news director, reportedly then denied Somerville's request to do so, suspending him the day after a shortened version of his commentary appeared in a later newscast’s script.
Holland wrote to Hartel that the suspension reflected an industry-wide disinterest in women of color's stories.
"Imagine the resentment that breeds when your friends and relatives go missing and you hear nothing about it," Holland wrote. "The missing Native American women, disappearing Black girls and exploited Latino girls are all tragically ignored to the dismay of their communities."
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