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Ex-anchorwoman sues station, says she was fired because she's white

<p>Wendy Bell, a former Pittsburgh news anchor, is suing station WTAE for allegedly firing her because of her race. </p><p>Following a shooting that killed five people at a backyard party in March, <a href="http://www.people.com/article/wendy-bell-anchor-facebook-racist-post" target="_blank">Bell wrote</a> on Facebook: "You needn't be a criminal profiler to draw a mental sketch of the killers who broke so many hearts. They are young black men, likely in their teens or in their early 20s. ...These boys have been in the system before. They've grown up there. They know the police. They've been arrested."</p><p>Some called Bell's comments racially insensitive. She <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2016/03/23/Facebook-post-by-WTAE-TV-s-Wendy-Bell-sparks-online-debate/stories/201603230195" target="_blank">deleted the post</a> and publicly apologized, but was fired from WTAE. </p><p>Bell is now arguing those same comments wouldn't have gotten her fired if she wasn't white. Her <a href="http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/10663728-74/bell-fired-wtae" target="_blank">attorney said</a>, "What she said was benign at best. President Obama has said similar things."</p><p>He also added WTAE <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2016/06/20/Wendy-Bell-files-suit-against-WTAE/stories/201606200140" target="_blank">had authority</a> over Bell's Facebook account and could have edited or deleted her post if they felt it violated the station's standards. </p><p>When Bell posted the controversial Facebook message, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/01/business/media/wendy-bell-pittsburgh-tv-anchor-fired-facebook-post.html?_r=0" target="_blank">no arrests</a> had been made in the shooting. Two black men were later <a href="http://www.wpxi.com/news/second-suspect-officially-named-in-wilkinsburg-mass-shooting/255505448" target="_blank">named suspects</a>, but no one has been charged in the case. </p><p>Bell's <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2016/04/01/Employers-can-sanction-restrict-speech-of-workers/stories/201604010113" target="_blank">supporters have argued</a> news anchors face a Catch-22 when they are expected to engage with their audiences on social media. </p><p>Bell began her career with WTAE in 1998 and has won <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2016/03/30/WTAE-TV-s-Wendy-Bell-fired-over-racially-inflammatory-messages/stories/201603300196" target="_blank">21 regional Emmys</a>. One of the demands of her lawsuit is getting her job at the station back. </p><p><i>This video includes clips from </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vm6MDVxlYY" target="_blank"><i>WRGB</i></a><i>, </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9r821sV8z0" target="_blank"><i>Pittsburgh Tribune-Review</i></a><i>, </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Xa1yruA5k" target="_blank"><i>KDKA</i></a><i> and </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMmSzKb6fc8" target="_blank"><i>WTAE</i></a><i>. </i></p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/california-firefighters-are-dealing-with-10-wildfires-across-the-state/">California Firefighters Are Dealing With 10 Wildfires Across The State</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/is-calling-orlando-the-deadliest-mass-shooting-whitewashing-history/">Is Calling Orlando The Deadliest Mass Shooting Overlooking History?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/19-year-old-charged-after-allegedly-trying-to-assassinate-donald-trump/">19-Year-Old Charged After Allegedly Trying To Assassinate Donald Trump</a></li></ul>
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pittsburgh newscaster fired after her comments in a Facebook post about a shooting were deemed racially insensitive sued her former employer on Monday, saying the television station let her go because she is white.

Wendy Bell said her federal lawsuit that WTAE fired her on March 30 "because of her race," violating her civil rights.

"Had Ms. Bell written the same comments about white criminal suspects or had her race not have been white, Defendant would not have fired her, much less disciplined her," the lawsuit reads. "Ms. Bell's posting of concern for the African-American community stung by mass shooting was clearly and obviously not intended to be racially offensive."

A message left with station management was not immediately returned. Bell is seeking back pay, punitive damages and her old job.

In a Facebook post, Bell commented on the March 9 shooting of five black people in the poor Pittsburgh suburb of Wilkinsburg.

"You needn't be a criminal profiler to draw a mental sketch of the killers who broke so many hearts," Bell wrote March 21. "They are young black men, likely in their teens or in their early 20s. They have multiple siblings from multiple fathers and their mothers work multiple jobs. These boys have been in the system before. They've grown up there. They know the police. They've been arrested."

No arrests have been made in the case.

Bell's comments sparked a backlash from some who saw her words as racist, but also drew defenders who found her post honest.

Bell was fired nine days later after WTAE determined her remarks violated the company's journalism and ethics standards.

In an interview with The Associated Press on the day she was fired, Bell said she did not get a "fair shake" from the station, and that the focus on her comments was a distraction from the issue of "African-Americans being killed by other African-Americans."

Bell joined WTAE in 1998 and has won 21 Emmy Awards.