The Washington Post is reporting that a D.C. reporter recently took herself off a story (or the station’s management did it for her) due to the backlash on social media websites and potential bullying directed toward her teenage children.

You can read the Post’s article here.

Now I’m not criticizing this reporter’s decision, or the station’s decision, to take her off the story.

We probably don’t know all the facts here.

I can only base my opinion off what I’ve read in the Post.

I have been the target of some pretty staunch criticism in my career on social media websites like Facebook, most recently for a story I did involving the DWI conviction of a local high school basketball coach and teacher certified to teach driver’s education.

While I have to question the taste of some of the comments, I never really felt threatened or bullied on Facebook in the aftermath of that story.

My sons are young in age, but, much like the D.C. reporter’s children, there’s a good chance they will reach their teen years with me still reporting for WSLS (I’m not going anywhere!), which means they could face some criticism due to some of my reporting.

It’s my job as a parent to prepare my boys for that as they get older.

I’m no main anchor, but I am in the public eye, which comes with a measure of responsibility.

My concern is with the precedence this reporter has set for herself.

I’m sure this is far from the last controversial story she’ll cover; this is not the last topic she’ll take up where she could face vicious personal attacks in return.

Now, those who take issue with her reporting in the future, will know her perceived tipping point, at least those sinister enough to use it, and those types of people are unfortunately out there.

I might feel differently if someone said something to my kids, but I didn’t see anything in the Post’s report that I thought would give rise to the level that I would need to hold my kids out of school.

In today’s age of Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, if you’re in the public eye, nothing is really off limits.  You have to know that nowadays if you’re a sports figure, actor, or even a TV reporter in Roanoke, your privacy is greatly diminished by your line of work. 

I know both my boys are going to get bullied at some point in time in their middle school and high school years, maybe even elementary school for that matter.

I was bullied when I was younger.

There’s a possibility they may get bullied because of something their so-called friends saw me report at WSLS.

But I never let those bullies stop me from living my life or doing my job.

It’s a sad fact, and I commend anti-bullying campaigns designed to prevent it, but I think bullying will always be an obstacle parents and their kids will have to face.

Much like how I handled it when I was erroneously accused of “reckless driving” by some on Facebook following the DWI story involving the coach, I wanted to show that I will not back down from doing my job, and I’m pretty much an open book when it comes to my life.

I plead no contest to that “following too close” charge today by the way.

The judge said, after I complete an eight hour driving class, he’ll drop the charge.  He said it will then be cleared off my driving record.