Memphis Station’s Decision to Let Reporter Go Days After Pressing Marsha Blackburn About Black Residents Has Viewers Crying Foul

Outrage is growing after FOX13 Memphis let go of Black reporter Rob Sneed from his freelance position, shortly after he questioned Tennessee Gov.-elect Marsha Blackburn about what her administration would do for Black residents, raising questions about the timing of his departure.

The controversy centers on an exchange between Sneed and Blackburn following her victory in Tennessee’s gubernatorial race. During an interview at her election-night gathering, Sneed pressed the Republican on how she intended to serve Black Tennesseans.

Blackburn named Memphis among the communities she intends to prioritize through economic development and job creation. She also pointed to her campaign visits to the majority-Black city as evidence of her efforts to engage voters across Tennessee.

In footage circulating online, Sneed asked Blackburn, “How are you going to be able to help the Black American community?”

Blackburn had previously pledged to keep her administration accessible to residents across the state, but Sneed questioned her about specific plans to address the concerns of her Black constituents.

Blackburn at first answered vaguely, “I hope that they will come work with me.”

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Sneed pressed, “How?”

Blackburn looked shocked by the follow-up question and responded, “I hope that they are going to be meeting with me. They’re going to find that I’ve got an open door.”

She continued, “I’ve talked with some of the legislators. I know maternal health is important to some. I know education and having availability of educational opportunities is important. I look forward to helping address those issues.”

In a statement shared on social media, Sneed said the station’s decision caught him off guard. He explained that management attributed the move to financial considerations rather than his reporting.

“I did not know this was coming, but today FOX13 News management made the decision to lay me off from my position as a Freelance Anchor/Reporter,” he wrote. “I was told the decision ultimately came down to the station’s revenue.”

However, Sneed suggested that his experience with the station had not matched what he expected when he accepted the opportunity. He said he joined FOX13 under its previous management after receiving promises that never materialized, and that the current leadership chose to go in a different direction.

He thanked viewers throughout Memphis and the Mid-South for welcoming him and reiterated how seriously he takes the responsibility of representing the Black community through his work.

“Every day, I carried myself with class and integrity, knowing I represented not only myself, but also the Black American community that makes the Mid-South so beautiful, and I took that responsibility seriously,” he wrote.

Sneed acknowledged that losing the position has left him facing financial uncertainty. He said he did not know what would come next or how he would manage his bills.

“YOU knew my worth, but more importantly, I KNOW my worth,” he wrote. “That’s not failure. That’s triumph.”

The timing has prompted criticism online, with some raising concerns about whether the station’s decision was directly connected to Sneed’s exchange with Blackburn and urging viewers to hold FOX13 accountable.

One commenter wrote, “Absolutely nothing; she not going to Rep the Black people of Tennessee. She got him fired the next day.”

Another urged viewers to target the station’s advertisers, writing, “Boycott the advertisers on that station. Contact the advertisers and ask them if they support firing journalists for asking tough questions.”

A third directly called out FOX13, asking, “@fox13memphis, is this how you deal with your reporters who ask tough questions of elected officials? This is terrible decision-making by your leadership.”

Others echoed calls for a boycott of the station.

Sneed ended his statement by thanking his former colleagues and FOX13 for the opportunity, while making clear that he intends to remain in the industry. 

“I don’t know what my future holds, but I know WHO holds my future. That’s GOD!” he wrote. “My story is far from over.”

A Fox13 representative told Unapologetically Memphis that Sneed’s termination was an HR issue and declined to comment further.

A source familiar with the situation also told the publication that FOX13 did not retain Sneed because of a private matter, not his exchange with Blackburn.