The Republican Party of Florida demanded Friday that a Miami NBC affiliate apologize for broadcasting a segment that referred to the group as “the Reprehensive Party of Florida.”
According to the Miami Herald, the phrasing appeared during a WTVJ segment highlighting the party’s web ad that accused former Gov. Charlie Crist, who is now running for the governor’s office again as a Democrat, of running away from the state’s economic woes.
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry wrote a letter to WTVJ’s president and general manager, Larry Olevitch, and vice president of news, Migdalia Figueroa, that included a screenshot of the error and demanded the reference be corrected.
“This blatant disregard for journalist ethics and impartiality is a complete abdication of your station’s professional duty to truth at best and slander at worst,” Curry wrote, as quoted by the Miami Herald. “We are currently reviewing our legal options against your station, but at minimum we demand an on-air apology for violating journalist ethics and public discipline for any employees responsible for the creation of this graphic.”
The Herald was unable to reach Olevitch and Figueroa for comment.
The “Reprehensive Party” phrasing does not appear in the web ad the Republican Party of Florida uploaded to YouTube.
This post has been updated.
