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A message from WDIV GM Bob Ellis on political ads using Local 4 news clips

WDIV Local 4 in Detroit, Michigan. (WDIV)

Perhaps you’ve seen the latest batch of political ads regarding the upcoming elections here in Michigan. We’ve seen them, too.

In fact, the number of emails and telephone calls I’ve received from viewers of Local 4 and readers of ClickOnDetroit.com prompted me to write this today. There’s an ad on the air right now on all the stations in town that was put together by a group called Put Michigan First that is using news clips from our Local 4 newscasts.

I get why they do it. We have the most popular and most trusted news in Detroit, so by grabbing a clip from one of our unbiased newscasts and using it in a biased political ad, it makes the viewer think we’re taking sides.

Let me be perfectly clear. We do not endorse any political candidate, issue, or ballot initiative of any kind. We never have, we never will.

Kimberly Gill, our anchor who’s featured in the ad, and Grant Hermes, our reporter, are unfairly having their unbiased journalistic integrity questioned. Kim and Grant are among our finest journalists and they had nothing to do with this commercial. They were as surprised as some of you when it popped up on television.

What can you do? Contact the organization who’s running the ad and ask them to stop. That’s what we did. And we’ll do it again if needed.

Until then, if you ever wonder if we’re taking sides in a political campaign in the future, let me answer that right now. We don’t endorse anyone or anything. Never have. Never will.


About the Author
Bob Ellis headshot

Bob Ellis is the Vice President and General Manager of WDIV, the Graham Media Group, Inc. media hub in Detroit. It’s a return to the station where he had previously spent 15 years of his career in various management roles, including News Director. He has held the position since October 2021.

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