For the past week, we've talked about Geraldo Rivera more than we ever thought possible thanks to the Fox Newser's blame-the-victim assertion that Trayvon Martin's hoodie killed the unarmed teenager followed by his dumber non-apology apology, but he finally figured out how to apologize.

"I never intended to hurt anyone’s feelings and certainly, Sybrina and Tracy, I never intended to hurt your feelings," Rivera told Trayvon Martin's parents (Politico's MJ Lee transcribed the show). "I want to personally convey my deepest apologies to both of you. I am sorry if anything I said, Tracy, added to your misery."  Martin's parents did accept the apology and added an explanation for their son's hoodie that night.  “He was protecting himself from the rain," Martin's father said. "So if being suspicious, walking in the rain with your hoodie on is a crime, then I guess the world is doing something wrong."

As apologies go, Rivera has vastly improved upon his previous "I apologize to anyone offended, but I am still right because one unnamed black conservative said I was" apology last month. Having made amends to the Martins, Rivera can now say to his audience, "I am sorry for saying inflammatory things about someone's tragic death in a ploy for viewers, ratings and media attention. I will stop trolling all of you."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at aabadsantos at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Alexander Abad-Santos