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

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.’”