WGCL Atlanta Director of News/Digital Content Steve Schwaid issued
an apology to viewers after the station aired video of the distraught wife
of the man who allegedly murdered a Yale
University doctor Monday
(April 27).
Lishan Wang, who resides in the Atlanta
area, is being held in a Connecticut
jail for the murder. WGCL's reporters went to his house and met Wang's wife,
who had not heard that her husband had been arrested regarding the incident at
Yale.
WGCL's photographer recorded Wang's wife's reaction as a
reporter broke the news about her husband. "While we were in the home talking
with her and shooting video, Wang's wife fell to the floor hysterically crying.
If you saw our newscast last night or our website earlier today, you saw this
horrible video," writes Schwaid. "There was no reason for us to air or put that
video on the Web. No one needed to see those moments in her life."
Schwaid apologized repeatedly and thanked the viewers who
contacted the station to express their anger. He said WGCL will learn from its
mistake. "We have discussed it internally and will continue to do so," he said.
"We will also use this video in future training sessions with our staff to show
what we should NOT put on television."
Schwaid oversaw content for NBC's owned stations before
shifting to Meredith.
