{"id":1793,"date":"2026-06-11T17:39:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:39:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793"},"modified":"2026-06-11T17:39:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T17:39:38","slug":"texas-tv-reporter-under-fire-for-gorilla-in-the-room-remark-during-karmelo-anthony-trial-coverage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793","title":{"rendered":"Texas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A veteran Texas TV reporter is facing backlash after using the phrase \u201cgorilla in the room\u201d while covering the closely watched murder trial of Karmelo Anthony \u2014 prompting her station\u2019s parent company to issue a public apology and acknowledge the remark was inappropriate.<\/p>\n

Read more Austin Metcalf\u2019s dad has incredibly moving reaction to Karmelo Anthony\u2019s sentencing \u2014 as he takes aim at race-baiting agitators<\/a><\/p>\n

Rebecca Lopez, a senior crime and justice reporter for Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA, made the comment Tuesday during live coverage of Anthony\u2019s trial while discussing tensions surrounding the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s talk a little bit about the big, uh, gorilla so to speak,\u201d she said before noting that people on both sides of the case had been shouting racial slurs and that attorneys wanted the proceedings to focus on the facts rather than race.<\/p>\n

The incident was first reported by Atlanta Black Star.<\/p>\n

Anthony, 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the 2025 murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf. <\/p>\n

Because Anthony was a minor at the time of the killing, he was not eligible for the death penalty.<\/p>\n

Lopez\u2019s comment immediately ignited criticism online, with some viewers questioning whether Lopez misspoke or intentionally substituted the phrase \u201cgorilla in the room\u201d for the more commonly used expression \u201celephant in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

A video of the moment spread on social media, where critics argued the wording was problematic and offensive because the defendant in the case is black.<\/p>\n

The comment was made at the 8:11 mark of the video below<\/strong><\/p>\n

One user who reposted the clip wrote that while reporters are entitled to provide analysis during trial coverage, the choice of words raised questions about \u201cjudgment, professionalism, and awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others were less forgiving.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is a seasoned reporter. She should know better,\u201d one commenter wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n

Another accused the station of lacking professionalism, while others urged WFAA to explain the remark.<\/p>\n

In a statement provided by Tegna, WFAA\u2019s parent company, the broadcaster acknowledged the comment was inappropriate and sought to distance the newsroom from the controversy.<\/p>\n

Read more Karmelo Anthony claims he\u2019s \u2018penniless,\u2019 can\u2019t afford lawyer for appeal \u2014 despite pocketing $625,000 \u2014 after murder conviction<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday while reporting on the track meet stabbing trial, our reporter chose an idiom to describe dynamics in the courtroom that was inappropriate in this instance,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis mistake in no way reflects the culture of our newsroom or tenor of our coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company emphasized that its journalists are expected to follow strict professional standards.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur reporters are held to high standards and abide by the Principles of Ethical Journalism,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope our long track record of fair, balanced and sensitive reporting, specifically on this case, speaks for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tegna also pledged to prevent a similar incident from happening again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will do our very best to ensure this does not happen in the future,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Tegna declined to say if Lopez was disciplined by the station.<\/p>\n

She has worked at WFAA since 1998 and serves as the station\u2019s senior crime and justice reporter. She has been one of the outlet\u2019s leading journalists covering high-profile criminal cases in North Texas.<\/p>\n

The Anthony case has drawn intense public attention and generated heated debate online, with race frequently becoming a flashpoint despite repeated efforts by attorneys to keep the focus on the evidence presented in court.<\/p>\n

According to Lopez\u2019s report, demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse had exchanged racial slurs, underscoring the tensions surrounding the proceedings.<\/p>\n

Read more Spurs could be haunted by controversial call in final seconds of crushing NBA Finals loss<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A veteran Texas TV reporter is facing backlash after using the phrase \u201cgorilla in the room\u201d while covering the trial of Karmelo Anthony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media"],"yoast_head":"\nTexas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Texas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A veteran Texas TV reporter is facing backlash after using the phrase \u201cgorilla in the room\u201d while covering the trial of Karmelo Anthony.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T17:39:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"Texas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T17:39:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793\"},\"wordCount\":615,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a16f79a0497b5a4baa3afc205cb863fa.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Media\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793\",\"name\":\"Texas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage - Metro Transit Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a16f79a0497b5a4baa3afc205cb863fa.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T17:39:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a16f79a0497b5a4baa3afc205cb863fa.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a16f79a0497b5a4baa3afc205cb863fa.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":799},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1793#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Texas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Transit Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Texas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage - Metro Transit Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Texas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage - Metro Transit Review","og_description":"A veteran Texas TV reporter is facing backlash after using the phrase \u201cgorilla in the room\u201d while covering the trial of Karmelo Anthony.","og_url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793","og_site_name":"Metro Transit Review","article_published_time":"2026-06-11T17:39:38+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"headline":"Texas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage","datePublished":"2026-06-11T17:39:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793"},"wordCount":615,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a16f79a0497b5a4baa3afc205cb863fa.webp","articleSection":["Media"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793","name":"Texas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage - Metro Transit Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a16f79a0497b5a4baa3afc205cb863fa.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-11T17:39:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a16f79a0497b5a4baa3afc205cb863fa.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a16f79a0497b5a4baa3afc205cb863fa.webp","width":1200,"height":799},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1793#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Texas TV reporter under fire for \u2018gorilla in the room\u2019 remark during Karmelo Anthony trial coverage"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/","name":"Metro Transit Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/metrotransitreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}