Madonna Chism Pinkard, an esteemed broadcaster who had been working at the NBC affiliate WFMJ in Youngstown, Ohio since 2004, was terminated from her position after sharing a light-hearted “Straight Pride” meme on her personal Facebook page. This incident occurred during pride month, which is dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.
The post, on her personal page, featured a meme with a newlywed man and woman that stated, “Celebrate Straight Pride,” “It’s Natural, It Has Worked for Thousands of Years,” “And You Can Make Babies!”
The assertion seems to be in conflict with the policies of WFMJ, a television station under the ownership of the Maag family. An investigation was promptly initiated, resulting in the eventual termination of Ms. Pinkard.
“WFMJ has terminated the employment of our Community Relations Director following her unauthorized post on a company-linked social media site last week,” the company wrote on Facebook. “We do not condone such actions and apologize to you, our viewers, for this unauthorized post.”
“WFMJ is committed to serving our entire community with the respect we believe all people deserve. We recognize we live in a diverse community with differing views on many topics, and we believe discussions of those views and reporting on them should be done in a respectful manner by all. We deeply regret that our Community Relations Director crossed the line,” the television station said.
Ms. Pinkard expressed regret, however, the Alphabet Activists are not satisfied with mere apologies.
“I apologize for the post that offended one of our viewers,” she wrote. “I have removed it.”
It is always insufficient. If you upset the Alphabet Activists, they will dismantle you, particularly if you are employed in the television news industry. It resembles a contemporary Gestapo.
