Cleveland Station Apologizes For Reporting Kidnapping Hero's Criminal Record

Charles Ramsey, the Cleveland man who helped rescue three kidnap victims last week, became an instant media sensation thanks to his colorful and enthusiastic “man on the street” interview immediately after the event.

Unfortunately for Ramsey, within days his past criminal behavior, including a domestic assault conviction from a decade ago, was made public. News outlets that focused on Ramsey’s criminal record received enormous amounts of push-back and criticism from viewers and readers who wanted to celebrate the colorful hero’s deeds.

Friday, local Cleveland TV station WEWS apologized to its viewers on its 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.

(HT: Poynter)