In a move that left viewers in the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois stunned, Emmy winning morning news anchor Dustin Nolan announced he was leaving the news industry as his co-anchor and wife, Jenna Jackson, sat at the news desk by his side.
On Friday, KWQC-TV 6 viewers watched live as Nolan made his announcement. In it, Nolan criticized the state of the mainstream local press in the United States, which is increasingly controlled by fewer and fewer corporations.
Nolan stated:
"I have chosen to step away from the news industry. Before I say goodbye, I just want to say, I hope every one of you that’s allowed me to be a part of your mornings knows just how important I have taken this job, how much it means to me that you’ve trusted me these past few years to bring you the news in the morning."
"When it comes to this job, all I’ve ever wanted to do is report on the issues that really matter. I’ve always believed that we, as a local news station, owe you, the viewers, the best that we can do, because without you, none of us would be able to do this job."
You can see his emotional speech here:
Nolan continued:
"I also believe that we, as a local news station, have to be more than trends or sanitized news, because it makes people uncomfortable. That’s why the facts matter, and that’s why we do what we do here. We have to take people out of their bubbles and comfort zones and make them think about the world we all live in."
Nolan then praised his wife, who is expected to remain at the Davenport, Iowa station.
People wished him well and praised his character.
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Like most local television stations, KWQC-TV 6—which serves the Quad Cities of Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa and Rock Island and Moline, Illinois—is owned and operated by an out of state corporation, the Atlanta, Georgia-based Gray Media.
Gray is the third-largest television station operator in the United States, by number of stations, behind Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group. Gray Media owns or operates 180 stations across the United States in 113 markets.
Such corporate broadcast entities have come under fire for eliminating local news and replacing it with packaged propaganda to promote corporate interests and for forcing their stations to recite rhetoric on air.
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