Kevin Woster Journal staff | Posted: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 10:15 am
KOTA TV newsman Shad Olson will be back on the air soon, following a disciplinary suspension from his news anchor duties in the Rapid City coverage area because of his speech at a tea party rally.
Olson was taken off the air locally a few days after his April 15 speech at the Citizens for Liberty tax day rally in Memorial Park.
“Shad’s speech to the tax day rally was a lapse in ethics, so we took appropriate action,” KOTA news director John Petersen said.
Petersen said Olson will resume his anchor duties for KOTA at some point in the near future, but declined to offer a date. He also declined to discuss specifics of the disciplinary action taken against Olson.
Olson also declined to discuss specifics of the disciplinary actions, but did say he has continued to produce news shows at KOTA and appear on air for KDUH TV in Scottsbluff, Neb., a KOTA sister station under Duhamel Broadcasting Enterprises.
Olson said he met with Petersen the day after the tax day rally, when his supervisors learned of the speech through a news story in the Journal. Olson declined to say whether he agreed with Petersen that his tax day speech had been an ethical lapse. He did say that people who believe that his tea party speech reflects a political bias that could affect his news work should watch and judge for themselves.
“The fact that they didn’t realize until now the passionate feeling and beliefs I hold about the history of our country and its values should be evidence enough of my ability to provide an unbiased news account day in and day out,” Olson said.
Olson, 37, has been with KOTA for 10 years, seven as anchor. Olson said he agreed to appear at the tax day rally weeks in advance and that he was motivated to speak there and at previous tea party gatherings and civic meetings by his belief that Americans have “a flabby understanding of the history of the founding of our country.”
“I want people to fall back in love with their country based on what the founding principles are and the legacy left by the people who fought and bled and died to establish America on this continent,” he said.
Olson said he is non-partisan in his advocacy and believes that his personal beliefs coincide with the tea party movement in general.
Petersen said Olson is entitled to those beliefs but crossed an ethical line in his tax day speech.
“A journalist should not participate,” Petersen said. “A journalist should report the news, not make the news.”
KOTA TV newsman Shad Olson will be back on the air soon, following a disciplinary suspension from his news anchor duties in the Rapid City coverage area because of his speech at a tea party rally.
Olson was taken off the air locally a few days after his April 15 speech at the Citizens for Liberty tax day rally in Memorial Park.
“Shad’s speech to the tax day rally was a lapse in ethics, so we took appropriate action,” KOTA news director John Petersen said.
Petersen said Olson will resume his anchor duties for KOTA at some point in the near future, but declined to offer a date. He also declined to discuss specifics of the disciplinary action taken against Olson.
Olson also declined to discuss specifics of the disciplinary actions, but did say he has continued to produce news shows at KOTA and appear on air for KDUH TV in Scottsbluff, Neb., a KOTA sister station under Duhamel Broadcasting Enterprises.
Olson said he met with Petersen the day after the tax day rally, when his supervisors learned of the speech through a news story in the Journal. Olson declined to say whether he agreed with Petersen that his tax day speech had been an ethical lapse. He did say that people who believe that his tea party speech reflects a political bias that could affect his news work should watch and judge for themselves.
“The fact that they didn’t realize until now the passionate feeling and beliefs I hold about the history of our country and its values should be evidence enough of my ability to provide an unbiased news account day in and day out,” Olson said.
Olson, 37, has been with KOTA for 10 years, seven as anchor. Olson said he agreed to appear at the tax day rally weeks in advance and that he was motivated to speak there and at previous tea party gatherings and civic meetings by his belief that Americans have “a flabby understanding of the history of the founding of our country.”
“I want people to fall back in love with their country based on what the founding principles are and the legacy left by the people who fought and bled and died to establish America on this continent,” he said.
Olson said he is non-partisan in his advocacy and believes that his personal beliefs coincide with the tea party movement in general.
Petersen said Olson is entitled to those beliefs but crossed an ethical line in his tax day speech.
“A journalist should not participate,” Petersen said. “A journalist should report the news, not make the news.”
