The executive director of West Virginia Public Broadcasting has stepped down after one year. Butch Antolini's departure is the latest sign of upheaval at the news outlet, which was recently shaken by a reporter's allegation that she was fired for writing an unfavorable story about a division of the
In December 2022, part-time reporter Amelia Ferrell Knisely lost her job after she wrote detailed stories about the alleged abuse of people with disabilities within the state agency that runs West Virginia’s foster care and psychiatric facilities. The department cares for some of the most vulnerable residents in one of the poorest U.S. states. Legislative leaders described Knisely’s departure as “disturbing.
Knisely said she was told to stop reporting on the Department of Health and Human Resources after leaders of the embattled agency “threatened to discredit” the publicly funded television and radio network. She later learned her position was being eliminated. Knisely said her news director told her the order came from Antolini, who declined to comment at the time. Other officials denied any effort to influence coverage. West Virginia Educational Broadcasting Authority chairman William H. File III said Antolini told the board “he was not coerced or pressured by anyone.”
Knisely’s departure came during a tumultuous time for West Virginia news media. Days before she left WVPB, three reporters for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Charleston Gazette-Mail said they were fired after
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