Slate Suspends Podcast Host After Debate Over Racial Slur
Mike Pesca of “The Gist” said he was suspended after defending, in a Slack discussion with colleagues, the use of the slur in some contexts.
Mike Pesca, host of Slate’s “The Gist,” said he was suspended indefinitely on Monday.Credit...Ed Rode/Getty Images
Feb. 22, 2021
The online publication Slate has suspended a well-known podcast host after he debated with colleagues over whether people who are not Black should be able to quote a racial slur in some contexts.
Mike Pesca, the host of “The Gist,” a podcast on news and culture, said in an interview that he was suspended indefinitely on Monday after defending the use of the slur in certain contexts. He made his argument during a conversation last week with colleagues on the interoffice messaging platform Slack.