TV station assures viewers Ferguson verdict won't disturb Dancing With The Stars, internet rages

An ABC affiliated news station got its priorities horribly wrong last night, reassuring celebrity dance fans that they wouldn't have to endure the very serious situation unfolding in Ferguson, St Louis for long.

"Don't worry, Dancing with the Stars will be back after the special report. #Ferguson" WTVC NewsChannel 9 tweeted as the grand jury verdict was announced.

Outrage rained in, with one viewer tweeting the station: "Wow I guess dancing with the stars is more important than a young black life" and another adding: "A man is dead. A family is grieving. A city is burning. Nobody gives a damn tonight about 'Dancing with the Stars.'"

It was a very silly mistake and the station backpedalled furiously, issuing a series of apology tweets along with ones directed at individuals.

"No, please - it was a mistake, it won't happen again, we promise," a man named Gary who works at the station wrote.

But it fell on deaf ears.

"It's too late now. You should have apologized to everyone earlier and stopped tweeting," a viewer wrote.

"For a meltdown of epic proportions, watch @newschannelnine try to recover from its awful tweet. But hey, they follow back!" Jessie Opoien tweeted.

The St Louis suburb of Ferguson was gripped by violent protests once more last night, after a grand jury chose not to bring charges against Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot dead Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, on 9 August.

Buildings and cars were torched, businesses looted and the sound of gunfire shuddered out at regular intervals as demonstrators and armoured police clashed across parts of the city.

Tear gas and rubber bullets were fired by police, while a Walgreens pharmacy and a Little Caesars pizza place were both gutted by fire. A public storage facility, petrol stations and other restaurants were also set ablaze.