Black journalists often deal with trolls who mock their professionalism, appearance, and intelligence, no matter who they report for. Many can attest that they received hate mail for reporting on news stories people don't like or not sharing the same opinion as viewers.

However, Sharon Reed, a broadcast journalist from CBS46 had enough of the malarkey and decided to respond to an email she received from a viewer. During her evening show on the Atlanta news station, Reed read a message from viewer Kathyrae1962.

What The Viewer Said 

"You need to be fired for the race-baiting comment you made tonight, It’s o.k. to discuss certain subjects, but not whites … Really???," Kathyrae1962 wrote to Reed.

"You are what I call a Ni--r. Not a black person. You are a racist Ni--r. You are what’s wrong with the world, ” Kathyrae1962 continued, spelling the slur wrong.

The viewer is referring to what Reed reported on: the recent mayoral election that was held in Atlanta between city council member Mary Norwood and Keisha Lance Bottoms. Norwood is white and Bottoms is Black.

If Norwood won the election, she would have become the first white mayor in Atlanta since the 1970s. However, based on the voters' choice, Bottoms won the election and therefore, continuing the streak of Black mayors who have governed the Peach state's city.

Reed's Ether 

“When arguing with someone, you have to be careful not to miscategorize their viewpoint, so I won’t miscategorize your viewpoint,” Reed opened her response to Kathy Rae's seething email. “I get it, on Dec. 5, 2017, you think it’s OK to call this journalist a n*****. I don’t. I could clap back and say a few things to you. Instead, I’ll let your words, Kathy Rae, speak for themselves.”

Her Interview With Yahoo

In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, Reed told the media outlet that the journalists on her show interact with their viewers by exchanging their thoughts on trending news. She revealed to Yahoo, she has been working at CBS46 for two years and the experience she faced with Kathy Rae is typical. Reed also relayed to Yahoo that her Black colleagues at other news stations face similar situations.

"It’s not the first, second, third, or hundredth — voicemails, emails — not necessarily to my face [but] over the phone,” she noted. “When black journalists get together, we’ve all had these similar horror stories.”

Her manager at the news station allowed her to respond to Kathy Rae's racist email on air. “Do I care to shine a spotlight on a racist? Not really. Let’s move on. That said, there’s [sic] too many people getting too comfortable that we’re postracial,” she expressed.

After watching Reed's response to her, Kathy Rae emailed her back and told her she didn't like that she made her look stupid. Reed, on the other hand, says Kathy Rae's emails were "inherently wrong."

View Reed's clap back to Kathy Rae on Twitter below.

Tags: racism journalism