Ex-WBZ anchor Kate Merrill who’s suing Boston station says ‘fairness must apply to everyone’

Former WBZ anchor Kate Merrill has issued her first public assertion about her lawsuit in opposition to the Boston TV station, saying that “fairness must apply to everyone.”

Merrill, who all of a sudden left the station underneath a cloud of thriller final yr, is suing the outlet on Troopers Subject Highway for racial and gender discrimination.

The longtime anchor and reporter, who’s white, is searching for $4 million in damages from WBZ, CBS, Paramount and others, for claims that she was illegally pushed out from the station.

“For more than two decades, I proudly shared the stories of Boston as a journalist at WBZ-TV,” Merrill posted on Fb on Wednesday. “I poured my coronary heart into this work as a result of I consider deeply within the energy of journalism to tell, join, and uplift a group I really like.

“It is with profound sadness that I now find myself in the position of bringing a legal complaint against a station and company that I once considered part of my family,” she added. “This decision was not made lightly. It was made because I believe fairness must apply to everyone, regardless of race, gender, or background and I was not treated fairly.”

Within the lawsuit, Merrill alleges that she was discriminated in opposition to — resulting in her departure.

“In the early 2020s, WBZ-TV, adopted diversity, equity and inclusion policies imposed by its parent corporations Columbia Broadcasting System and Paramount Global, Inc.,” her lawsuit reads. “In 2024, WBZ-TV exploited such policies and took career-ending action against Ms. Merrill to advance a DEI agenda.”

Merrill joined WBZ as a reporter in 2004 in Boston. She famous within the go well with that she lined most of the largest native tales, together with the 2004 Democratic Nationwide Conference in Boston, the 2004 Pink Sox World Collection win, a number of Patriots Tremendous Bowls, the Boston Marathon bombings, and extra.

WBZ promoted her from reporter to anchor, and in 2016, she turned the lead 11 p.m. reporter and weekend anchor. In 2017, WBZ named Merrill co-anchor for WBZ This Morning and WBZ Information at Midday.

“Let me be clear: I support efforts to ensure newsrooms are reflective of the communities they serve,” Merrill posted on Wednesday. “That is not what this case is about. It’s about ensuring that no one is unjustifiably pushed aside simply because an organization wants to meet a target or an agenda.”

Based on her lawsuit, when WBZ employed Jason Mikell, a Black meteorologist from Mississippi, he reportedly requested Merrill to assist him with the pronunciation of native cities and cities.

Then final April, she texted him throughout a industrial break to appropriate his on-air pronunciation of Harmony.

“… Defendant Mikell immediately confronted Ms. Merrill, loudly yelling at her on the studio floor and asserting that she was being critical of him,” the go well with reads. “His tone was aggressive and unprofessional. Ms. Merrill immediately lodged a complaint with WBZ’s Human Resources department.”

The station didn’t examine her grievance in opposition to Mikell, she claims. As an alternative, an investigation was launched into allegations that she handled colleagues in a different way due to their race, the go well with claims.

For example, WBZ’s Courtney Cole allegedly complained that Merrill informed her that she used to work in Nashville — and stated Cole ought to go there as a result of she may grow to be the principle anchor.

“Cole apparently interpreted (the remark) as a suggestion that she go to Nashville because it would be a better racial fit for Defendant Cole (who is Black) rather than a comment about career opportunities and how much she (Ms. Merrill) enjoyed Nashville,” the go well with reads.

“Ms. Merrill vehemently challenged the validity of Defendant Cole’s allegations and denied (and denies) any of her actions, inactions, or comments were as described or motivated by overt racism or unconscious bias,” the lawsuit continues.