Austin TV Station Accidentally Labels Black Bombing Victim 'This Monkey'

this young man
KVUE-TV, a local ABC affiliate station in Austin, Texas, severed ties with a closed-captioning company after it labeled a black 17-year-old bombing victim "this monkey" and misspelled his name. Screenshot: World Star Hip Hop

An ABC affiliate station in Austin, Texas, severed ties with a closed-captioning company after a "typographical error" labeled an African-American bombing victim "this monkey."

KVUE-TV issued an apology after a Tuesday evening story aired on the station about victims of Mark Anthony Conditt's deadly 19-day bombing spree in Texas. While the anchor was discussing the death of 17-year-old Draylen Mason, the words "this monkey" appeared on the TV screens using closed captioning.

Immediately following, the words "this young man" flashed up after two dashes and an apparent correction reflecting the actual phrase spoken by the anchor.

The text just prior to the "this monkey" phrase also misspelled the victim's name, identifying him as "17-year-old Jaelyn Mason. An honor student. An incredibly gifted musician."

KVUE-TV said a third-party closed captioning company called VITAC was responsible for the "terrible error." The station has "demanded an explanation and an apology to Draylen's family, and VITAC is complying."

KVUE-TV said it waited until Thursday to sever ties with VITAC due to Federal Communications Commission guidelines that required several steps to be taken in replacing the closed-captioning contract.

this young man
The text just prior to the “this monkey” phrase also misspelled the victim’s name, identifying Draylen Mason as “17-year-old Jaelyn Mason.” Screenshot: World Star Hip Hop

"Many of our viewers have asked why this wasn't an immediate decision, and we want you to know that we've been working as fast as possible to secure a replacement to this service while adhering to FCC guidelines," the statement continued. "We'd like to thank our viewers for sharing feedback on how important this decision is to our community."

Anthony Stephan House, 39, was also killed during a March 2 blast linked to Conditt's bombing spree. Both victims were African-American.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Benjamin Fearnow is a reporter based out of Newsweek's New York City offices. He was previously at CBS and Mediaite ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go