Cable channel CNN misidentified Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, embroiled in a scandal surrounding a decades-old racist photo, as a Republican.
The Democrat apologized Friday night for a photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page that depicts him wearing either blackface or a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood.
But during “Anderson Cooper 360,” a chyron — the text that appears at the bottom of the screen — identifies Northam with “(R)” after his name.
The incorrect party label appears for less than 15 seconds over the apology video Northam posted to Twitter. Host Anderson Cooper had previously correctly identified Northam as a Democrat while introducing the clip of Northam’s apology, which had been posted to Twitter on Friday night.
It was the second scandal of the week for the 59-year-old pediatric neurologist, who had earlier come under fire for comments related to a bill that would have loosened restrictions on abortions in the Southern state.
Northam had earned ire from conservatives for his comments on abortion, then from Democrats for the racist photo. Members of his party at both the state and national level, including those running for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, called on him to step down.
Though Northam was expected to hold a press conference Saturday morning, a time has not yet been announced.
