Mar 062010
Darcy Pohland, a local television reporter for WCCO who also had quadriplegia, died unexpectedly yesterday. I don’t watch the local news much anymore, but I remember seeing Pohland on TV when I first moved to Minnesota and being genuinely surprised at seeing a person with such a significant and visible disability making regular appearances in front of a camera. I hesitate to use the term “role model” when describing anyone with a disability, but Pohland’s regular presence in the local media landscape probably shaped some of her viewers’ attitudes on disability for the better.
Pohland was 48.
I’d say role model. First, journalism is a male dominated career. It is hard to make it as a female period. Second, the females that do make it in television are generally very pretty in the traditional sense, usually they are “hot.” Darcy wasn’t “hot.” Additionally, she did a lot of sports stories, which is strictly a man’s zone. Finally, she was loyal. Loyal to her station, her teams and her friends. These things alone make her a role model. Add on being one of the few TV reporters in the world using a wheelchair makes her a role model in my mind absolutely.
But I think we should look at WCCO as a role model station also. Not only did the hire and promote Darcy, they put her on the air for all kinds of stories, not just fluff pieces. They could have had her doing solely pieces about disability, health, etc. But they didn’t. She worked on the bridge collapse story. She worked on death and violence stories. They allowed her to be a real reporter, like she wanted to be. Also, they hire a variety of minorities, including an Asian woman as the main anchor every night. Finally, they are actually in the city. While most have moved to the suburbs, WCCO is in the city and has a connection to it. They are the best news station.