No, an MSNBC reporter was not fired over a viral, live air flub

MSNBC anchor Alison Morris came under fire this week after allegations that she used a racial slur on air while covering the tragic Kobe Bryant helicopter crash.

During her report on Jan. 26, Morris flubbed the word "Lakers," leading some people to believe she stuttered the N-word. A Change.org petition calling for Morris’ resignation has received more than 145,000 signatures as of Jan. 29.

And now a blog post has gone viral on Facebook with a false headline that claims Morris was fired over the incident: "MSNBC Reporter allegedly fired over racial slur while reporting on TV." The headline has been viewed by more than 13.8 million people on Facebook as of Jan. 29. 

The story was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

This isn’t accurate –– Morris has not been fired. She apologized on Twitter, saying the flub was an accident and not a racial slur.

You can listen to the video yourself below.

The blog post, published on a Wordpress page called "Peterson Breaking News of Trenton," displays a photograph of Morris –– and while the headline claims she was fired –– the story doesn’t mention it.

Featured Fact-check

Viral image

stated on September 16, 2018 in a Facebook post

Says CNN’s Anderson Cooper stood in a ditch during Hurricane Florence to exaggerate water levels.

The article only talks about the viral flub and Morris’ subsequent apology on Twitter:

We found no credible report claiming Morris has been fired. MSNBC has not released a statement about the incident or a change in Morris’ employment. The cable channel did not respond to a request for comment.

Without evidence, this claim rates False.