News Station Director Fired After Asking Journalists to Tone Down Coverage of Pride Events Following Viewer Complaints
The director of a local news station in Michigan has been fired, as has an assistant director, after issuing a memo to journalists asking them to cover Pride events in a more “balanced” way.
WOOD-TV8 — an NBC affiliate based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan — terminated news director Stanton Tang and assistant news director Amy Fox for releasing the intra-office memo regarding coverage of Pride Month events. According to excerpts of the memo, news station officials had received complaints from viewers who were upset by the station’s supposedly fawning coverage of LGBTQ events.
“We know that West Michigan is a Conservative area in many ways,” the memo said, according to reports. “We need to recognize that some stories related to LGBTQ issues are going to be controversial and polarizing in our community. While you personally may not agree with a certain position, people are entitled to their opinions, and they are our viewers.”
The WOOD-TV memo asked journalists to cover Pride events selectively, based on their “newsworthy-ness.” Should a story be deemed newsworthy, journalists should then make every effort to stay “balanced and get both sides of the issue.” Tang reportedly requested the memo, and Fox reportedly wrote and sent it on his behalf.
Newsroom staff apparently responded to the directive with a mixture of defiance and fury. Based on comments from unnamed employees quoted in the Desk, many staff members experienced significant emotional turmoil on account of the memo. “The toxic atmosphere created by Stanton’s behavior has had a profound impact on the well-being and morale of our team,” one employee said in an email to the Desk. Another claimed that emotions at the station were “still raw.” A third employee, identified as a journalist, stated, “This whole situation killed what used to be a very enjoyable job. I have no passion for it anymore.” (Read more from “News Station Director Fired After Asking Journalists to Tone Down Coverage of Pride Events Following Viewer Complaints” HERE)
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