Longtime VPR storyteller Willem Lange related an anecdote on air this past Wednesday, in which he referred to an old friend he’d worked with on a Texan ranch as a ‘wetback.’
The brief 5:55 p.m. broadcast went out live to an estimated 13,400 listeners who tune in from 5:45 p.m. to 6 p.m., but VPR removed the online story and audio piece from their website soon afterwards. VPR aired an apology on the soundwaves on Thursday night, also blogging an apology in a discreet and opaquely titled post on their site’s front page.
Lange didn’t respond to a request for comment, but his apology as related by VPR states: “As a storyteller and professional writer, I should have known this was an unacceptable term. I do now, and I regret having used it.”
VPR Vice President for News & Programming John Van Hoesen said the network had yet not received any phone or emailed complaints about the remark, but noted that two Facebook messages had alerted them to the language.
Van Hoesen couldn’t recall any similar incidents happening in the past. He explained that VPR follows comprehensive editorial policies which usually catch such language in the editing process.
“We have editorial policies in place and they generally work very well,” said Van Hoesen. “Occasionally something does slip through when it isn’t expected. This did not meet VPR’s editorial standards and we apologize for that.”
Van Hoesen clarified that Lange’s regular commentary would not be suspended or paused. He noted that Lange “does have a history of inclusiveness in his commentaries, which is why this is especially surprising.”
