Michigan jury awards $4 million to TV news directors fired for seeking 'both sides' in Pride coverage

In October 2026, a federal jury in Grand Rapids, Michigan, awarded more than $4 million in damages to two former newsroom executives of local NBC affiliate WOOD-TV—former news director Stanton Tang and former assistant news director Amy Fox—finding against the nation’s largest local television broadcaster, Nexstar Media Group. The two journalists were terminated in June 2023 following an internal newsroom mutiny triggered by a memo instructing reporters to provide balanced coverage of local LGBTQ+ Pride Month events and account for conservative viewer perspectives.

According to reporting by the American outlet LGBTQ Nation, the dispute arose from an internal email drafted by Tang and distributed by Fox to WOOD-TV reporters and producers during Pride Month. The guidance noted that the station had received negative feedback from conservative viewers across West Michigan who objected to what they perceived as excessive Pride coverage. The news directors urged staff to assess the news value of such events and ensure objective framing: “We know that West Michigan is a conservative area in many ways. We need to recognize that some stories related to LGBTQ issues are going to be controversial and polarizing in our community. While you personally may not agree with a certain position, people are entitled to their opinions, and they are our viewers. If we are covering pride events, we need to consider how to make the story balanced and get both sides of the issues.”

The guidance provoked swift pushback within the station. Producers, camera operators, and on-air talent refused to follow the directive, characterizing it as discriminatory. News anchor Michelle DeSelms stated publicly on social media that requiring staff to cover “the other side” of Pride effectively demanded that reporters allocate airtime to prejudice and bias. Shortly thereafter, the text of the memo was leaked to the regional news organization MLive / The Grand Rapids Press, prompting widespread public criticism directed at the station.

In response to the public backlash, Nexstar Media Group distanced itself from the news directors. Gary Weitman, an executive vice president at the Texas-based parent company, issued a public apology to viewers and the LGBTQ+ community, stating that the memo was incompatible with Nexstar’s editorial standards and corporate values. Days later, Tang and Fox were fired. In the same operation, Nexstar also dismissed two executive producers, Luke Stier and Madeline Odle, alleging they were involved in leaking internal correspondence to outside media.

Following their termination, Tang and Fox filed suit in federal court against Nexstar Media Group. They contended that corporate executives made them scapegoats to contain public outrage, violated Michigan’s Employee Right to Know Act by confirming their disciplinary status to external journalists (including CNN) without prior written notice, and committed false light invasion of privacy by casting them publicly as anti-LGBTQ+ bigots.

The federal jury, presided over by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker, found unanimously in favor of the former news directors on the privacy and statutory labor claims. The court awarded Amy Fox $2.393 million ($1.8 million for false light invasion of privacy, $500,000 in exemplary damages, and $93,000 under the state labor act) and Stanton Tang $1.683 million ($1.29 million, $300,000, and $93,000, respectively). However, the jury rejected the plaintiffs’ separate defamation claims. A Nexstar spokesperson stated that while the company welcomed the jury’s verdict rejecting defamation, it strongly disagreed with the remaining aspects of the ruling and was evaluating legal options, including an appeal.

WOOD-TV (Channel 8) is an NBC affiliate based in Grand Rapids, broadcasting across West Michigan since 1949. Its parent company, Nexstar Media Group, is the largest commercial television station operator in the United States, managing approximately 200 broadcast stations, cable network NewsNation, and The CW.

The Michigan verdict touches upon ongoing debates in American journalism regarding the boundaries between impartiality, free expression, and community advocacy: federal courts previously addressed religious expression and First Amendment protections in adoption programs, while political debates in the Midwest have highlighted divisions over cultural messaging between moderates and progressive activists.