Cleveland's WEWS-TV issued an apology on Thursday after the local news station reported on Charles Ramsey's criminal record.
Ramsey was one of two neighbors who helped Amanda Berry, who had been kidnapped for 10 years, and two other women escape from captivity earlier this week. While he was hailed a hero for his role, his presence on TV was mocked and even autotuned. Al Sharpton defended Ramsey. "He kicks in a door to rescue those women and some are criticizing his diction?" Sharpton said of Ramsey.
Soon after his TV debut, reports surfaced about Ramsey's record, one that reportedly included convictions for domestic violence. Multiple outlets, including WEWS, reported on Ramsey's criminal past.
After facing backlash from viewers, WEWS apologized in a post on the station's Facebook page.
TO OUR READERS & FOLLOWERS: We heard you. Wednesday night, we made a poor judgment call in posting a story about Charles Ramsey’s criminal record and how he’s since reformed. While the story was factually sound, the timing of it and publication of such information was not in good taste, and we regret it. Your comments prompted us to quickly remove the story from our website and Facebook page, but we know we can’t erase what we’ve already done. Ramsey is a hero for his actions, and we recognize that. Thank you so much for your feedback.
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