In her first public remarks regarding her lawsuit against the Boston TV station, former WBZ anchor Kate Merrill stated that everyone must be treated fairly.
Merrill is suing the Soldiers Field Road station for racial and gender discrimination after abruptly leaving it in a mystery last year.
The longstanding white reporter and anchor is suing WBZ, CBS, Paramount, and others for $4 million, claiming she was wrongfully fired from the station.
Merrill said on Facebook on Wednesday, “As a journalist at WBZ-TV, I proudly shared the stories of Boston for more than 20 years.” Because I really believe in the ability of journalism to educate, unite, and elevate a community I care about, I put my all into this work.
She continued, “I am extremely saddened to be in the position of filing a lawsuit against a station and business that I used to think of as family.” This was not a hasty decision. It was created because I feel that everyone should be treated fairly, regardless of their origin, gender, or ethnicity, yet I was not treated fairly.
Merrill claims in the case that she was subjected to discrimination, which caused her to leave.
According to her lawsuit, WBZ-TV implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the early 2020s after being forced to do so by its parent companies, Paramount Global, Inc. and Columbia Broadcasting System. WBZ-TV took advantage of these policies in 2024 and terminated Ms. Merrill’s career in order to further a DEI agenda.
In Boston, Merrill began working as a reporter for WBZ in 2004. She stated in the lawsuit that she covered a number of the most significant local topics, such as the Boston Marathon bombings, the 2004 Red Sox World Series victory, the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, and multiple Patriots Super Bowls.
She went on to become the primary 11 p.m. reporter and weekend anchor in 2016, after being elevated from reporter to anchor by WBZ. Merrill was appointed co-anchor of WBZ This Morning and WBZ News at Noon in 2017.
To be clear, Merrill wrote on Wednesday that she supports initiatives to make sure newsrooms reflect the communities they serve. That’s not the point of this case. It’s about making sure that no one is unjustly excluded merely because a company wishes to fulfill a goal or a target.
Her lawsuit claims that when WBZ recruited a Black meteorologist from Mississippi named Jason Mikell, he allegedly asked Merrill to help him pronounce local towns and localities correctly.
Then, last April, she corrected his on-air pronunciation of Concord by texting him during a commercial break.
According to the lawsuit, defendant Mikell yelled at Ms. Merrill loudly on the studio floor as soon as he saw that she was criticizing him. He spoke in an impolite and combative manner. Ms. Merrill complained to WBZ’s human resources department right away.
She alleges that the station failed to look into her complaint against Mikell. According to the lawsuit, an inquiry was instead started into claims that she discriminated against her coworkers based on their color.
For example, Courtney Cole of WBZ reportedly said that Merrill informed her that she had previously worked in Nashville and suggested that Cole travel there in order to have the opportunity to become the primary anchor.
The suit claims that rather than a comment regarding professional opportunities and how much she (Ms. Merrill) enjoyed Nashville, Cole obviously took the remark to mean that she should go there because it would be a better racial fit for Defendant Cole, who is Black.
According to the lawsuit, Ms. Merrill strongly contested the veracity of Defendant Cole’s claims and disputed (and continues to deny) that any of her remarks, acts, or inactions were driven by overt racism or unconscious bigotry.
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The station came to the conclusion that Merrill’s actions created an extremely hostile work environment and were based on unconscious bias or microaggressions. She had to do unconscious bias training and was given a written warning.
After that, Merrill was reassigned to working weekend evenings instead of co-anchoring the Weekday Morning Show.
The lawsuit states that on May 24, 2024, Ms. Merrill gave notice of constructive discharge resignation, effective immediately, due to the devastating harm a demotion would have done to her career, particularly in light of the accusations that she was racist.
Until June 1, 2025, Merrill’s employment contract with WBZ remained in effect. She was unable to work in the field for over a year due to the non-compete clause.
She said on Wednesday, “I have dedicated my career to supporting voices from all communities, coaching young journalists from all backgrounds, and reporting stories that capture the whole range of life in our city.” I continue to be proud of the job I accomplished at WBZ and am proud of that legacy.
“I’m from Boston,” Merrill continued. My greatest professional honor has been sharing the story of this city. I also hope that the principles of accountability and equity that I have always worked to maintain will be respected during this process. Boston, thank you.
