PETER STEFANOVIC SLAMMED FOR RACIAL PROFILING

Australia’s most recent millionaire, 19-year-old Keegan Payne has the nation defending him after an interview on  live television with Sky News.

A million dollar win like that would be huge for anyone, but the story was particularly sweet because Keegan worked two jobs and lived at home with his family of eight, who he said he would support with the money.

An emotional Keegan Payne wins a huge $1 million cash prize after catching a valuable barramundi. Image: Million Dollar Fish.

However, his inspirational story was disrupted when Peter Stefanovic mid-interview about the competition abruptly asked the boy if he had stolen a vehicle and bike from his old boss Bob Cavanagh.

He then pushed Keegan to apologize to Cavanagh live on air, and further pressured him to offer a cut of his winnings to him. The segment was blasted online for being offensive and racist, and now it has reached Cavanagh himself — who said that if anything, it’s Keegan who deserves an apology.

Peter Stefanovic asked Keegan Payne if he had stolen a vehicle on live television. Image: Sky News.

Cavanagh said Keegan was only 15 years old during the incident, and had already displayed regret and shame at what he had done. He said Keegan had felt “terrible” for costing the lawn mowing business, and offered to repay his old poss by working weekends until the damage was covered.

Stefanovic’s interview has been widely slammed online, with people accusing it of perpetuating harmful stereotypes of Aboriginal people.

After much backlash, Sky News and Stefanovic issued an apology  if you could really call it that  about the interview.

Source: pedestrian.tvnews