FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allison M. Stevens
(703) 854-3590
astevens@unityjournalists.org

Brian Kilmeade Apology

Fox and Friends host Brian Kilmeade issued an apology on Monday for "inappropriate" comments he made during the show's July 8 episode. While we would choose other adjectives rather than "inappropriate" to describe the comments, we nonetheless appreciate that Mr. Kilmeade correctly identified his words, and not our reaction to them, as the problem.

In the earlier episode, Mr. Kilmeade attempted to dismiss the relevance of a study that showed long-term marriage reduces the severity of Alzheimer's-related dementia by noting the study had been conducted in Sweden and Finland. Referring to the people there as having "pure genes," Mr. Kilmeade said that citizens of the U.S. marry "other species and other ethnics," and thus the results of the study do not apply to us. The comments were absurd and Mr. Kilmeade was correct to distance himself from them.

It was our desire that this become a teachable moment, one that goes beyond the usual cycle of criticism and apology by drawing attention to an issue worth exploring: Fox and Friends has an opportunity here to have a serious discussion about intercultural and interracial marriage. We challenge the show's producers to take advantage of that opportunity, and we stand ready to help identify sources and examples that will help foster such a meaningful discussion.

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About UNITY: Journalists of Color
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. is a strategic alliance advocating news coverage about people of color, and aggressively challenging its organizations at all levels to reflect the nation’s diversity. UNITY, representing more than 10,000 journalists of color, is comprised of four national associations: Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association.

In addition to planning the largest regular gathering of journalists in the nation, UNITY develops programs and institutional relationships that promote its mission. For more information on UNITY, visit www.unityjournalists.org, email info@unityjournalists.org or call (703) 854-3585.