White Reporter Addresses Black Mayor as ‘Bruh’ in Tweet, Loses Job

A Dallas Morning News education reporter has been fired after referring to the city’s Black mayor as “Bruh” in a since-deleted Twitter response, according to D Magazine.

Mangrum was responding to a tweet Mayor Eric Johnson had sent out chastising local news outlets for not focusing on the lower crime rates in Dallas. He remarked that if the stats were the opposite and Dallas was leading in increased violent crime rates, that they’d report that news daily. He also acknowledged the work that the Dallas Police Department.

“Our local media have no interest in reporting on this data, which is why you haven’t heard about it. But you better believe if Dallas was leading the nation in violent crime INCREASES you’d be hearing about it daily. It’s sad, really. Kudos to @DallasPD and our residents!”

Our local media have no interest in reporting on this data, which is why you haven’t heard about it. But you better believe if Dallas was leading the nation in violent crime INCREASES you’d be hearing about it daily. It’s sad, really. Kudos to @DallasPD and our residents!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/8qc8k6RuNl

— Mayor Eric L. Johnson (@Johnson4Dallas) February 11, 2023

Mangrum’s response: “Bruh, national news is always going to chase the trend. Cultivate relationships with quality local news partnerships.”

“He was going after local media for their coverage of crime and I saw some of my colleagues responding to him, tweeting out stories the Dallas Morning News has done, saying, ‘Hey, Mr. Mayor, you know this isn’t quite fair,’” Mangrum told D Magazine.

But the issue wasn’t her responding or defending her publication. Mangrum said she was questioned by her executive editor, Katrice Hardy, who is Black if she would have used the word “bruh” if the mayor were white. She said yes as she uses it often when speaking to basically anyone on Twitter.

Mangrum was terminated. The Dallas Morning News did not respond to D Magazine‘s requests for comment.

“I would never tell a person of color, ‘Oh, it wasn’t racist. You shouldn’t feel that way,’” Mangrum said. “But I know my intent, and it was not at all about race. I use that word with my friends and when I tweet about hockey. It’s just part of my vernacular. I grew up in Central Florida, and, you know, I’m a millennial.”