Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

News anchor Jana Shortal accused of 'disrespect' for wearing skinny jeans during broadcast

Columnist accuses female anchor of prioritising being ‘hip’ during report on abduction of young boy 

Heather Saul
Thursday 08 September 2016 23:09 BST
Comments
News anchor chastised for wearing skinny jeans

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Jana Shortal has become the second female anchor in recent months to be chastised for her outfit after delivering a segment about the abduction and killing of a young boy while wearing jeans.

A column in the Star Tribune chose to focus on KARE 11 anchor Shortal’s clothes instead of her reporting on the death of Jacob Wetterling with a head to toe assessment that deemed her sartorial choices “downright jarring” because of the seriousness of the subject.

This criticism came despite the fact that Shortal has worn skinny jeans on other broadcasts for the Minneapolis station.

In the piece, which has since been taken down from the site, columnist C.J accused Shortal of prioritising being "hip" over the gravity of the subject matter. “She looked great from the waist up in a polka-dot shirt and cool blazer, but the skinny jeans did not work," she wrote. "I was among a number of media types who found them inappropriate and, given the gravity of the day’s subject matter, downright jarring.

"My thoughts are also with the Wetterling family. While I cannot imagine they’ll want to read or watch every media take about the horror they have been living, I would think that hipness wouldn’t be a priority while covering one of the biggest, saddest stories in Minnesota history."

"Being hip in skintight pants while discussing this story was unseemly, perhaps disrespectful."

Angry reactions to the article came in quick and fast, with many accusing C.J of detracting from the tragedy at the centre of the story. After receiving an overwheming show of support from viewers, Shortal responded to criticism in a powerful open letter to the author of the column.

“I don’t know what my clothing has to do with covering the tragedy of Jacob's death,” she added. “My only 'wish' on Tuesday was for Jacob's family.”

The Star Tribune issued an apology to Shortal and on their Twitter page.

Ironically, the column was published in the same paper Shortal had written a comment piece for in June about breaking conventions as a newswoman by not adhering to the “lady uniform” dresscode. In it, Shortal described her own experiences of being criticised for dressing in a way that makes her feel comfortable, including the abuse she received.

Her piece was written in response to a female KTLA anchor being told to cover up with a sweater during a live broadcast.

“All I wanted to do was tell stories,” she wrote. “But that didn’t seem to make up for my lacking presentation as a lady. And so I focused on writing. Or at least I tried. I continued to field countless ‘suggestions’ about my hair, clothing and every other exterior category. The suggestions came from inside newsrooms at first. Then came the advent of social media. “Here is a sample of some of the insults hurled my way via the internet: ‘Do you shop in a dumpster?’ ‘My dog has better hair than you.’ ‘Your clothes are so hard to look at my TV broke.’”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in