Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

News Anchor Suspended After Calling Out Station's Excessive Coverage Of Gabby Petito Case

News Anchor Suspended After Calling Out Station's Excessive Coverage Of Gabby Petito Case
KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco/YouTube

Local news anchor, Frank Somerville has been suspended after a disagreement with his station's management over a tagline he wanted to run.

Someville, who's been with KTVU for nearly 30 years and is a fixture in the San Francisco Bay area, tried to discuss the racial disparity in how the media reports stories, using the coverage of Gabby Petito as an example.


When he brought up the 46-second tagline, the disagreement he had with the director Amber Eikel about the subject led to his suspension.






For weeks, the news has been closely covering the search for Petito, a White female blogger who went missing while travelling with her fiancé Brian Laundrie. Eventually, her body was discovered, leading to a search for Laundrie as the prime suspect.

The extensive media coverage of first her disappearance then every tiny detail since has even led QAnon conspiracy theorists to claim the couple are actually crisis actors.

Somerville's disagreement and suspension happened just before Petito was discovered. At the time, the news anchor—himself the father of a Black daughter—wanted to highlight the disparity in how the media responds to a missing White woman versus a woman of color.

For comparison, in a nine year period 710 Indigenous people—mostly females—went missing in the same are as Petito. Their disappearances garnered little to no media coverage and most cases remain unresolved.

Like Somerville suggested for his own station, some news outlets are now examining that disparity.





While this disparity has now been pointed out and discussed by critics online, Somerville wanted a 46-second tagline to address it on air.

Instead, he was suspended.

About a week after Somerville was suspended, KTVU ran a story about the disparity between missing White women and everyone else in news coverage.

People wondered where they got that idea.






None of this is to say it's wrong to report on Petito's disappearance or search for her killer.

But BIPOC are asking news media to do the same for others and to not punish employees who try to tip the balance.

And it could start by giving Somerville his job back and let him do a deeper piece on the subject.

More from Trending

Screenshots of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez giving Capitol tour
@AmberJoCooperX; @aoc/BlueSky

AOC Saves The Day By Giving Bronx Middle School Group A Tour Of The Capitol Amid Shutdown

New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had people cheering after she stepped in to act as tour guide after a group of middle schoolers from the Bronx pulled up to the Capitol hours after the U.S. government officially shut down.

The federal government shut down early Wednesday after the White House and Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal spending. While Senate Democrats are in the minority, they hold enough seats to filibuster and are insisting that Republicans agree to extend federal subsidies for people insured under the Affordable Care Act.

Keep ReadingShow less
house with orange walls and red roof behind decorative fence

.

Alexander Lunyov on Unsplash

Homeowners Reveal Hidden Gems They Only Discovered After Buying Their Homes

Whenever you buy a house, you hope and pray for the best.

You never want an unexpected shock once everything is finalized.

Keep ReadingShow less
John Gillette; Pramila Jayapal
@AzRepGillette/X; Win McNamee/Getty Images

GOP Lawmaker Sparks Outrage After Calling For Dem Rep. To Be Executed For Urging People To Protest Trump

On Wednesday, September 25, an Arizona MAGA Republican state Representative publicly called for the execution of Washington Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal because she urged anyone displeased with MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's job performance to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech and to protest.

Apparently, urging citizens to make their voices heard was a step too far for Arizona state GOP Representative John Gillette, who responded to a clip edited out of a longer video by right-wing account The Patriot Oasis (TPO). A quick scan through Gillette's X account media posts will reveal his political leanings.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@nicolekatelynn1's TikTok video
@nicolekatelynn1/TikTok

Liberal TikToker Mortified After Discovering That Her Therapist Is Hardcore MAGA

There used to be a time where politics did not have to come into every room or be a part of every conversation. But in a world with President Trump and MAGA, it's not as simple as being Red, Blue, or Green anymore.

Now, the sociopolitical climate is dangerous for many people and still very stress-inducing for others. It's important to surround ourselves with people who make us feel safe and seen—and unfortunately, that might mean cutting out people who have "different beliefs" than we do.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @valerieelizabet's TikTok video
@valerieelizabet/TikTok

Teacher Reveals The Hilariously Familiar Way Kids Are Getting Around School Phone Bans

No matter what's being banned, or the reasons why it's being banned, kids will always find a way to access what they want.

What's funny is that teens in 2025 are now creating hacks to communicate with each other that will feel very nostalgic to Millennials.

Keep ReadingShow less