KTLA Under Fire for Posting Racial Slur on X, Cites "Technical Error"

Los Angeles TV station KTLA 5 is facing major backlash after its official X account unexpectedly posted a racial slur on Friday morning. The single-word post, containing the N-word, was quickly deleted – but not before users captured and shared screenshots across the platform.

The incident sparked outrage online, with one user writing, “Someone’s getting fired today,” while another sarcastically renamed the station "KKKTLA" in protest.

KTLA swiftly issued a public apology, attributing the offensive post to a “technical error” related to adding language filters to the account.

“KTLA experienced a technical error while adding language filters to our social media accounts, resulting in an offensive word being accidentally shared,” the station posted. “We are appalled and apologize that this occurred.”

According to the station, the goal was to mute offensive language on their account, but the term was mistakenly tweeted instead of being silently filtered.

Many X users weren’t convinced by the explanation. Critics questioned why a news outlet would be setting language filters on its account in the first place. Others called the justification inadequate.

“That’s your excuse?” one user replied.
 “Aside from this obviously not being true — why would a news outlet need language filters?” another asked.

In a follow-up statement shared with The New York Post, a KTLA spokesperson confirmed the station is investigating the matter.

“KTLA is investigating the exact cause of this incident, and we deeply regret what happened. We again apologize to KTLA’s audience and the greater Los Angeles community,” the spokesperson said.

While KTLA says the incident was accidental, it’s a reminder that mistakes on social media – especially those involving sensitive content – can have serious reputational consequences.

At TweetDeleter, we urge all users, especially organizations, to regularly audit their accounts, double-check posting tools, and maintain strict oversight of who has publishing access. One slip-up can go viral in seconds.