A.J. Clemente, Anchor Fired for Cursing on Live TV, Deserves a Second Chance

Apr 24, 2013
9:27 AM

If you have been online this week, you must have heard about the story of A.J. Clemente, who was fired by a local North Dakota NBC affiliate for uttering a curse word on live TV.

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It was a mistake, and it was clear from the video that Clemente wasn’t purposely trying to curse on television. He just wasn’t aware that he was on live. It happens, but should he be fired for it? That felt like too much.

Just by looking at Clemente’s tweets, you can see that he is trying, and realizes that he messed up. What bugs us a bit is that here is this young man who was probably so excited for his first big gig that he lost focus. We have no doubt that he will wind up somewhere else. How do we know? Because #SaveAJ has hit the Twitter stream, and there are tons of good people out there who believe Clemente should get a second chance.

 

In the meantime, can we say something about the mainstream media? You don’t have to be so critical. How many of you have been in that position? Have many of you have cursed right before the cameras and tape went live? You know it happens, so let’s not get all high and mighty here. It was a rookie mistake, but thanks to social media, Clemente’s career looks brighter. In the end, it just goes to prove: when you mess up, admit it with honesty and grace. Good things will happen, because the majority of people we know are really good people.

As for the local affiliate? Seriously? You fired a guy because a video went viral on YouTube? Do you really not want ratings and attention for your station? Guess you don’t want people watching your channel. You lost a golden opportunity to make this better, since you just fired an The Internet Folk Hero of the Week.

And as for you, A.J.? We are rooting for you.

UPDATE: Clemente has been making the talk show rounds today. How can you not like this guy?

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