Around 612,000 people watched The N Word, CNN’s special that tapped into our thirst for coverage of racism and racial slurs after the  Paula Dean and Zimmerman incidents.

CNN “The N Word” boosted ratings by 90%

CNN took the combination of its two latest and biggest rating topics between Paula Dean’s racial language and Zimmerman trial into the special. There was a 15 minute segment that was largely noted called “The N word VS. ‘Cracker’ : Which Is Worse?” That segment was supposed to be in reference to Trevon Martin’s friend that said he was being followed by “a creepy-ass cracker” in a recorded phone conversation moments before Martin was shot.

During the Monday night special guest Tim Wise said, “I mean, the reality is, we have a Supreme Court that in the last ten days has just basically called 40 million black folks that word without saying it by restricting or limiting the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and basically ending for all intent and purpose or, at least, limiting in many ways, affirmative action.”

The special can be found online.