WOOD-TV8 staff push back on internal memo to tone down Pride Month coverage

[andymuskegon]

when i ran for the state house in 2018, for 750 bucks, i knew everything i needed to know before i walked up to a door and knocked on it from an app on my phone about the voter. where they stood on everything. where they voted in person or absentee. their party affiliation and all of the really sensitive stuff that i could lie about and sway their vote. i didn't win on purpose.

VOTER SUPPRESSION???



How would they know if/how/when you vote??

[OnTopic]

Fired!
Tang wasn't the only one. Fox went too and Nexstar decided to be petty and fired the executive producer and producer who tweeted about the memo. But didn't all of the staff tweet about it?
https://thedesk.net/2023/06/stanton-tan ... o-wood-tv/

[sinklair]

It’s absolute BS that an EP and producer who had nothing to do with writing the anti-LGBT memo were fired. If you’re to believe The Desk’s reporting the best the company could get to was the two were “suspected” of leaking the memo to FTV Live.

I hope the who TV8 newsroom does walk out in solidarity with Luke and Madeline. They get fired — for at worst — fair comment on work policies. It is intimidation from Nexstar managers. I also hope groups like SPJ speaks out on the producers’ firings.

This decision actually makes morale even worse.

[MWmetalhead]

Firing the leakers was certainly excessive punishment, and I do not believe Fox should've been fired, either.

Tang and arguably Brinks should've been shitcanned. Probably a very good thing Tang is gone.

[A1B1C1D1]

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/sports/l ... 45775b1d62

Look at the bottom of this article. 'As a reminder...'

This is how in bed Grand Rapids media is with the pride movement. Never mind that the majority of Red Wings fans have never heard of 'locked on the NHL' , the article was PC.

If the Red Wings flip their pride night to 'hockey is for everyone' same as Boston and Chicago have done, it will be a competition between WOOD and WZZM as to who can cover the story more hysterically. Never mind the fact that you will never see a pride jersey worn in the stands by ticket buying fans! Facts don't matter on this issue.

[MWmetalhead]

No one at ZZM wrote that story.

[whitebalance]

If Brinks knew about the voter suppression memo. She should go to

[ral315]

What a disgraceful move to let go of Luke Stier and Madeline Odle. And, as mentioned, Amy Fox's name might have been on the memo, but it was written at Stanton Tang's direction.

I didn't think Nexstar could find a way to mess things up worse than they already were, but lo and behold...

[OneBigFan]

Nexstar split the baby firing Tang and Fox for writing/signing the memo then firing Stier and Odle for making the memo public. Two fold message; don’t put directives like that in writing and don’t make internal disagreements public. Do either and your employment will be terminated.

What stinks is Nexstar reportedly having the ability to fire Stier and Odle then enforcing the non-compete in the contract clause with their now former employer.

[waynerobertson1]

A letter of reprimand in their files would be sufficient. Now they will overcover PRIDE WEEK and get away from the real news.

[TheWayItIs]

I hope the who TV8 newsroom does walk out in solidarity with Luke and Madeline. They get fired — for at worst — fair comment on work policies.

Doubtful that other staffers walk out. Who do you think ratted them out? Nexstar execs interviewed everyone to try to pinpoint the leak. That story again, someone (or many people) “turned them in” - that’s not exactly a move toward solidarity.

Also…contracts. Why would they pay to break a contract and then get screwed by the non-compete claus?!

I’m not saying firing Stier and Odle was the right thing to do (clearly Nexstar wanted to send a message), I’m just not expecting a mass exodus any time soon.

[whitebalance]

Let's not forget the voter suppression memo. Did the GM know about that? Do the people that Nexstar interviewed about the memo and who leaked what, want to tell the same story under oath during a deposition?

[MWmetalhead]

Nexstar's crappy handling of the situation is drawing national media attention.

[sinklair]

Some of the coverage:

CNN:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/30/media/mi ... e-coverage

Daily Mail:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... rticle-top

Deadline:
https://deadline.com/2023/06/michigan-t ... 1235428286

MLive:
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids ... erage.html

Detroit News:
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/ ... 373659007/

If I were Luke and Madeline, I wouldn’t worry about the non-compete. I doubt any judge or jury would enforce it after a company fired them. WOOD shouldn’t be allowed to prevent journalists from seeking employment after they fired the two EPS.

Plus in the Detroit News article, it appears Stanton is preparing for a big legal fight… now that he has an attorney.

This could turn out very bad and costly for Nexstar.

[MasterB]

I was surprised the Leakers were outed and fired as I thought they wouldn't be outed.