Producers and reporters refuse to tone down LGBTQ coverage after local station tells them to present both sides over conservative backlash

Producers and reporters at a local television news station rebelled after being told to tone down their coverage of LGBTQ events during Pride Month after conservative viewers complained.

The woke rebellion was sparked by an internal memo sent to employees of WOOD-TV, an NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“We know that West Michigan is a Conservative area in many ways,” read the memo.

“We need to recognize that some stories related to LGBTQ issues are going to be controversial and polarizing in our community," the message continued. "While you personally may not agree with a certain position, people are entitled to their opinions, and they are our viewers.”

The memo went on to say that not all LGBTQ events in the area needed to be covered.

“We need to do some work to discern the newsworthy-ness of the event,” the memo concluded. “If we are covering Pride events, we need to consider how to make the story balanced and get both sides of the issue.”

The memo was leaked and obtained by the Desk, an outlet dedicated to covering local news outlets.

Some WOOD producers protested by reportedly participating in a brief walkout, while others who were upset at the memo called their HR representatives to complain.

“The memo was met with immediate pushback from our newsroom; the guidance is not being followed,” tweeted WOOD executive producer Luke Stier.

“The only two people involved in its creation have been removed from any discussions surrounding WOOD-TV’s Pride coverage as our corporation conducts a thorough investigation," he added.

News producer Kyle McIlmurray called the memo "ridiculous and hurtful" and said the staff was united against the command.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for the station's parent company Nexstar released a statement reiterating its commitment to diversity and distancing the company from the anti-woke memo.

“Our local TV stations are expected to cover and report the news of the day in an expansive and inclusive fashion, consistent with these values,” read the statement.

“We’re looking into the situation at WOOD-TV, as the communication regarding the station’s coverage of Pride Month activities in the area is not consistent with Nexstar’s values, the way we cover the news, or the respect we have for our viewers," the statement continued. "We will take appropriate action as necessary to address this situation, and apologize for offending members of the LGBTQ community and WOOD-TV’s viewers.”

Much of the ire was directed against WOOD news director Stanton Tang, who admitted to ordering his assistant news director, Amy Fox, to write and distribute the anti-woke memo.

Here's more about the backlash against LGBTQ extremism:

Companies Are CANCELING Pride Month?!www.youtube.com

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