April 10, 2013

DJ unsure if Lumbees are tribe

Foxy 99 DJ apologizes for question posed by listener about Lumbee Tribe; back on air today

By Ali RockettJane Dough, a popular daytime disc jockey for Foxy 99, wasn’t on air Tuesday following backlash from a controversial question posed by a caller about the Lumbee Tribe.

The on-air caller asked: Are Lumbee Indians a real tribe?

Jane Dough, via Facebook, said the phone lines immediately lit up.

The question was posted to the station’s and Jane Dough’s Facebook pages.

Due to the heated comments on both sides of the argument, the station deleted the post but not before it got nearly 1,000 comments. Many people threatened to boycott the station and filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission.

Jane Dough issued the following apology, again on Facebook Monday afternoon, which was posted to the station’s page and website:

“I would like to apologize for playing the call from a listener who questioned if Lumbee Indians were a real tribe & I didn't know the answer to his question. This caused so much pandemonium & controversy that some people have filed complaints & have even taken steps to boycott the station. I sincerely & truly say sorry for all those who felt offended by that listener's question. But I'm the one who played the call, so boycott me & not my Foxy Fam. Once again, I apologize.”
Comment:  This is a minor problem because a caller posted the question, not the DJ. Because no one said anything overtly negative. And because many people, even North Carolina residents, don't know about the Indians in their midst.

For more on the Lumbees, see Lumbee Rocker's Album to Be Reissued, Indians Suffer Prejudice Against Blacks, and Beck Ridicules Lumbee Woman.

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