A local Fox affiliate in Milwaukee faced criticism on Monday after airing a promotional video that showed one of its reporters dancing at the scene of a fire.
WITI-TV's morning news show "Wake Up News" aired a promo that featured reporter Angelica Duria and the rest of its team doing the Dougie. The other staffers were in the studio, but Duria filmed her part at the scene of a fire where three children died.
The Milwaukee's Journal Sentinel's Duane Dudek wrote that "the thin line between news and entertainment got a little thinner" with the incident. "That no one thought twice about enlisting a reporter on assignment in their reindeer games suggests an indifference to the distinction between news and entertainment," he criticized.
Meanwhile, the station explained the video as an attempt to make parts of its morning show "more fun and spontaneous," and issued an apology of sorts. “While I personally received multiple positive comments from viewers about the segment — one person specifically thanking us for getting their day off to a fun start before going to work — we never intended to offend anyone. If we did we certainly apologize," WITI general manager Chuck Steinmetz said in a statement.
The station has since removed the video.
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