A reporter at a local NBC affiliate in Atlanta was forced to resign because of her use of the N-word in a private conversation with a black man on Twitter. WXIA-TV ended Valerie Hoff’s 18-year career at the station because she quoted the man’s use of the N-word in a direct message on Twitter as she attempted to investigate a police brutality story.
Hoff was asking the man, Curtis Rivers, for permission to use a video he posted on Twitter of a white Georgia cop punching a black motorist while he had his hands up during a traffic stop. But instead of responding to the request, Rivers tweeted that a lot of “news niggas” were contacting him for permission. So, Hoff sent Rivers a private message, saying, “Please call this news nigga” and then asked where he got the video. He responded, “LMFAO” and told her he got it from a group chat. After Rivers discovered Hoff was white, he was suddenly offended and wrote back:
“I just looked through your photos and realized you aren’t black but you called me a nigga.”
She wrote back explaining she was just quoting his own words back to him, but by that point, Rivers was ready to sue:
Initially, WXIA suspended Hoff for two weeks, but then Rivers published the private messages to Twitter and shortly after, Hoff resigned and expressed regret over the situation:
“I was quoting something the gentleman said in a public tweet back to him in a private message but that doesn’t make it any less offensive.
“It was incredibly stupid and reckless. I was in the middle of a pressure-filled day trying to chase down the video of a man being beaten and kicked by two Gwinnett police officers, which this particular gentleman had posted on Twitter. I repeatedly apologized and continue to do so. I also offered to resign immediately.”
The station issued the following statement:
11Alive does not tolerate any form of racial insensitivity and aggressively enforces our standard policies. We acted promptly to address this situation. Valerie Hoff has chosen to resign and apologizes for her actions. 11Alive is committed to treating the communities we serve with dignity and respect.
On Monday, Hoff tweeted in frustration:
Meanwhile, Rivers revealed his double standard to a local paper, “I just think it wasn’t right for her to use that word in regards to a person who is African American on herself or use the word period for that matter. If she is bold enough to say it to me being an African American then I’m pretty sure this isn’t the first time she has used that word.”
Wait, so now HE’s the investigative reporter? Got it.
Hoff says she will now focus on being a stay-at-home mom and working on her food and travel blog.
