Disappointed

I checked Facebook Sunday night just before going to bed and was surprised to see a status update for one of our local news stations. It said something to the effect of “join us tonight at 11pm to hear about what Virginia should do to the developmentally disabled in the state.”

Whoa!!! That got my attention, and I was determined to stay awake until 11pm to hear what was said. Unfortunately, tiredness took over and I didn’t make the broadcast.

So, when I got up very early Monday morning, I checked Facebook again, and sure enough there was another update from that news station that said “We ran a story tonight on what Virginia should do to the developmentally disabled. State officials are collecting public comments on this issue through August 15th. Comments can be submitted by e-mail to…”

The more I thought about how that was worded, and the more I worried about the content, the angrier I got. So the first thing I did after getting ready for work and getting the kids moving was to check the actual website for the news station to find out what Virginia was going to “do” to the developmentally disabled.

Apparently, other people had issues with the words and by the time I got to the station and back to Facebook, the wording had been changed. All reference to “do to the developmentally disabled’ had been changed to “care for the developmentally disabled.” The content of the story referenced a survey being conducted by one of the state agencies that support people with disabilities.

I’m really disappointed that the news station (WTVR) made such egregious statements even though they were corrected later. This is a station that advertises itself as the most honored station in Central Virginia. Perhaps they are, but these comments were dishonorable at best.