5-24-15
The Jonesboro Radio Group's KDXY/Jonesboro, AR has long been doing a noon feature where they play the national anthem and salute a member of the U.S. military who comes from the surrounding Northeast Arkansas area. More recently, the station has been doing something similar on their website and social media pages, showing the name and picture of the military member, along with their hometown and military branch. Due to a perceived threat that ISIS and similar radicals could harm the military members and/or their Arkansas families, KDXY has removed the military members' photos and hometown names.
KAIT-TV did a story on the Jonesboro Radio Group's scaling back their military salute, which generated a great deal of public commentary, especially on the KAIT Facebook page. This public outcry caused Jonesboro Radio Group President/General Manager Trey Stafford to issue a statement of his own on the 104.9 The Fox Facebook page.
Stafford's statement read:
"OK. Enough is enough.
First of all, thank you to those of you who read the entire story, not just the headline.
Second, if you have a beef about America's policies regarding the efforts against ISIS and other threats, take it up with our government leaders. What our leaders decide regarding our effort is up to our country's leaders, not a radio station in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Directing your comments about our national policies at our radio station is misdirected.
Third, our country's military has warned its soldiers to not post information about themselves, their pictures, their families, their whereabouts on social media due to the perceived threat of action by ISIS, ISIS sympathizers and other threats. That being the case, we felt like it was in the best interest and safety of the very soldiers and their families we love and support to limit the information we post. We will never stop saluting and honoring the brave men and women who leave their families and serve or prepare to serve. But we will also not do anything that assists in putting them or their families in harms way.
We are continuing the salutes. The story never says we aren't. We are simply dropping the picture and hometown reference in the interest of their safety.
God bless our military families and their hero soldiers."
(5/24/2015 2:57:24 PM)
Guess what: Military officers are approved by Congress and their names, ranks and branches appear in the Congressional Record.
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