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Subscribe to RSSWASHINGTON, D.C. – WUSA reporter Andrea McCarren says she will go back in front of the cameras to deliver her own stories about underage drinking after stepping away when her children received insulting and threatening comments from their high school classmates.
Backlash to a WUSA series on underage drinking and drug use that began Feb. 1 received widespread media attention Wednesday. The Washington Post reported that threats were delivered to McCarren's children in person and on Facebook, leading WUSA news director Fred D’Ambrosi and McCarren to agree she should stay off the air for a week and let colleague Derek McGinty report her story, which he did twice.
“My kids were targeted,” McCarren told the Post. “That’s where I drew the line.”
Stories about the backlash over McCarren’s reports also appeared on The Huffington Post, Washington City Paper and media-industry websites.
But on Facebook Wednesday, McCarren posted:
“For the record, thanks to extraordinary support from my family, my colleagues and all of you, I will be fronting my own stories again later this week. As many pointed out, we don't want the 'terrorists' (or bullies) to win. I'm very proud of the stories you will see tonight, Thursday, Friday and in the months to come. Thank you.”
She confirmed to msnbc.com that she would be back on the air for the 11 p.m. ET Wednesday broadcast.
McCarren’s reporting included her confrontation with the owner of a local market where WUSA reported that underage alcohol sales were being made, a police bust of a Bethesda, Md., underage drinking party, and “pre-gaming," where youths get intoxicated or high before sporting events or concerts.
McCarren’s series was to continue Wednesday night with a report on teenage girls being raped at underage drinking parties, WUSA said.
“Ninety-nine percent of the feedback we've received because of Andrea's reporting has been positive,” WUSA said on its website as it reported on the backlash. “We've heard from schools, medical personnel, police, parents and even teenagers.”
The station cited a 17-year-old high school student “brave enough” not to drink despite peer pressure: "Please don't back down in face of threats. This is so rare that the media ... is trying to expose teen drinking and I applaud you for it. So on behalf of the 'team sober' kids, thanks."
Last week, WUSA said McCarren was “stunned and heartbroken to find herself subjected to online name calling too foul to mention on TV.”
Police took threats so seriously that officers were stationed in front of McCarren’s house, WUSA said.
It cited Facebook posts aimed at her such as this: "You can't try and take away something that teens love without retaliation. Haven't you ever heard of teenage rebellion? Teens love to drink and I'm sure they'll be laughing it up about your report while they party tonight."
Msnbc.com's Jim Gold contributed to this story.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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Un-caring adults drink and use drugs in front of children. It instills an idea, that is what to do to be an adult.
The world is falling apart, because of the many druggies. Their parents are training them to use.
It is time for the sane folks to fight back. The war on drugs must be stepped up.
This is just like when the Republicans go on the air and try to warn of the overspending of the government, and how it's going to lead to national bankruptcy.
Then along comes the Democrats, trying to pass bills that get this responsible, honest, and patriotic news off the air.
The only difference is that the Republicans have never, and will never back down in reporting the truth. They are and will continue performing a noble cause, to try and save the country.
The same Republicans who voted to fund a war in Afghanistan and one in Iraq without offsetting the costs? Give me a break.
"The only difference is that the Republicans have never, and will never back down in reporting the truth. They are and will continue to try and save the country."
Sort of like the Republican's mouthpiece Fox News ? Consistently rated the most lying batch of 'reporters' in the news industry.
Nikki-3896694 are you a democrat?
The only difference is that the Republicans have never, and will never back down in reporting the truth. They are and will continue performing a noble cause, to try and save the country.
Yeah right. They've made it clear that they'd rather see this country suffer than admit they caused the problems we now face. Reagan funded Sadam Hussain and Osamma bin Laden with our tax dollars. How was that a noble cause?
Judd, you say that like it changes the fact that Fox News has intentionally lied and mislead its viewers in the past and continues to do so as long as it support the conservative agenda.
supports not support.
Yes, the parents are training them to use! They instill the behavior every time they pop a prescription benzodiazpine or strong painkiller when it is not really a medical necessity. These drugs have a big street value. And where do the kids get them? Check the parents' medicine cabinets!
What moronski would turn this into a republicant vs. Democrat bit? Besides, that garage you spewed talkin' up the republicants is patently false. Reagan was a RINO, Bush 1 and II were RINOs, Cantor is a RINO... they are all RINOs. They spent this country into oblivion, then cut the taxes so it can't recover. That is an indisuptable fact.
hungrymongoose, you sound like a member of the Taliban. You know, with that kind of extremism. And you sound like the bully.
I firmly believe - just like US selling armaments to Mexico - that People within our GOVERNMENT are making money - and are helping to deluge this country with illegal drugs which represents MONEY=$$$$$$ and our 'politicians' have shown over and over and over again....Life is NOT sacred, and Money is the only thing that matters. So, you tell me why we have such a corrupt society - because the people on top, not only ALLOW it, but FEED it, because they ARE the corruption. Clean up the government - GET THE EGOS OUT!!!, and get WISDOM, Vision, STrength and INTEGRITY back in at the TOP....it is the only solution. Vote Ron Paul - better yet - JUST LISTEN TO HIM and not what the 7 newspapers, owned by you-know-who are telling you about him. LISTEN to Ron Paul - then you will KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO TO SAVE THIS COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE!
Something has gone seriously wrong with parents who raise uncivilized and barbaric children like the one's making these threats.
it's called programming!
Where are the parents of all these drinking kids? Kudos to the reporter willing to spread the word.
Parents encourage this behavior all of the time. They think it is romantic or nostalgic that THEIR kids drink to get blitzed, as that is what they did.
They are working !!! there are no Parents for by definition, they are the ones who 'care' for their children...they can't!!! they are trying to put food on the table. It is your state -ran institutions and peer-pressure which is raising the children....
Whatever!!
Children today are spoiled, entitled and completely out of control. It's time to bring back corporal punishment.
Sorry. That line of reasoning is older than the pyramids.
Next!
I actually thought he was paraphrasing Aristotle. But, maybe it was Tutenkamen?
Dragonmaster, kudos... that was hilarious.
I think I know the problem with kids drinking and doing drugs.... Parents aren't TALKING to their kids about drugs/alcohol in REAL terms... "Drugs are bad, mmm k?" Tell them what Marijuana is and the difference between that and Crack and alcohol... and then talk to them about peer pressure... The moral of the story is, start parenting more and asking the government and war on drugs to help you less.
The war on drugs is the only war that cannot ever be won ! It's pure insanity to try. Even in the Animal Kingdom any creature intelligent enough to understand intoxication actively pursues it.
Instead of painting drugs with an awe of illicitness, they should be reduced to the commonplace. For my Christian mind, God put all these things on earth for us to use and nothing that God has created is unclean. It clearly says so in the Bible. I put forth that any plant given by God should be legal. Once it is modified by Mankind they have the right to legislate their new creation.
Opium Tar for pain, Marijuana for stress/anorexia, Peyote for Religion, Coca Leaves for stimulation.... None have shown severe social ills anywhere the people use it. Heroin, Speed, Meth, PCP ? These are the only candidates for anything like a 'war'.
And lets not forget: God gave us wine -- he never intended we drink something so strong as Whiskey
Hey Nikki you don't have a clue of what you are talking about. Bot then again maybe you can OD yourself into an early grave
said like a true hedonist.
Tomvet and Voxsilen: Sad part is, Nikki is right to a point. Animals know intoxication. Elephants, among other animals, love fermented fruit. They get drunk whenever possible. Unprocessed plants are a Hell of a lot less dangerous than anything we've developed in a lab or mixed in a bathtub, do have proven medicinal properties, and have been used by many cultures all over the planet for literally centuries. Maybe you're the ones who don't have a clue. In fact, drop the maybe.
Holy Cow. I have heard a very large amount of interesting things from Christians, but this is one of the most memorable ones. To bring God into something where young girls get raped as they are passed out drunk, or when young kids kill themselves or worse while driving drunk. I could tell you about all the people I knew who died or worse, but I am sure that you would find a way to dismiss it.
I personally do not drink, but underage teen drinking parties are clearly not situations where underage kids can really know what they are doing well enough to decide something that can get them into that much trouble. Rape and death due to alcohol do not need to go as a natural part of growing up. Shame on you if you feel that God condones this.
The war on drugs is working, if it keeps ONE child off pot.
Nikki - God did not put methamphetamines on earth, man did. And just because a substance is natural, does not mean that it is good to ingest it, smoke it or inject it.
It's nice to know these kids' parents are no better than the kids who are sending threats. They can't control their walking abortions.
Tell me this: are you honest with your kids?
Then tell me this: Would you tell them how old you were when you first had sex?
Statistically speaking, though many of us lie, the majority of us had our first sexual experiences as teenagers. Generally speaking, we know we were young and foolish, and we don't necessarily regret the way we did things, but we don't want to give our kids the idea that it's a good idea either. Always a fine line to walk...
Whitney Houston should be the poster child for legalized drugs. Do you see a problem here?
Yeah either her or Steve Jobs. Or Barack Obama. Or Michael Phelps. Same difference, right? I mean they all took drugs, right? And we know that no one who uses illegal drugs becomes successful.
By the way, Whitney Houston managed to screw up her life despite harsh laws against the drugs she was using. If anything, she's the poster child for the status quo.
Oh my, how sensational! But I guess that was the whole point.
In other sensational news, we found HUNDREDS of people ignoring the speed limit!
Stay tuned, February sweeps isn't over yet!
Teenagers and drinking has been going on for how long???? Teenagers and doing/experimenting with drugs has been going on for how long? I'm no prude, but if they get out of hand, driving drunk, starting fights, etc, then i will draw the line. What these few kids did/said to this reporter, was absolutely wrong, and they should have their azzez kicked. Period. What the hell has happened to disipline in this society? Where the hell is the parenting? The supervision? If only we could go back to having one parent in the house at all times to raise our future. If only. To this reporter, i say, YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!!
Has anywon notissed that these coments aways end up politticle. My cat had kittens. Now is that the demokrats falt or the republikants fault?
8 spelling errors out of 24 words. Do you think anyone will take your gibberish seriously? No, you are not clever or cool.
8 spelling errors out of 24 words. That is not a complete sentence.
In English, there is such a thing as implied parts of speech. This is nothing new, and it is a well accepted practice. There was a time when educated people thought that it was nice to spell words differently. That time has passed.
While I never try to be too picky about spelling and grammar here, having good spelling does help to make you look educated. Ignoring the fact that the subject was an implied subject, then insulting WayneGacy does not further this discussion.
But, yes everything does tend to be politicized. I feel that this is an intentional fight that is being used in a very similar way as a simple school yard fight. Each side tries to get everyone so involved in figuring out who is right, or more right, that they completely ignore the fact that both parties are doing horrible things that should immediately be dealt with.
I grew up in a country where the drinking age was (and still is) 18. Underage drinking was not so much of a problem. Since I moved to southern CA and live close to a freeway that experiences DUI carnage from kids going to Mexico to drink legally then drive home drunk, I keep thinking to myself why is the drinking age so high in the US? I understand it used to be 18 a couple of decades ago but I can't fathom why raising the age has benefited anyone. All it does is drive the behavior underground and results in the crimes and incidents mentioned in the article.
If the drinking age was reverted to 18 surely allowing people old enough to fight for our country to have a drink in a bar would not be such a bad thing. It would help curb the binge drinking and underground parties at Universities and Colleges across the country by moving the drinkers to bars and clubs and would let them understand the social impact in a real life setting. Having a hazing party in a Frat house and falling asleep in the hallway might seem cool, but you can't do that when you're at a bar downtown - they will learn the real limits of drinking and their consumption could and would decrease as they understand the implications.
Mind you, I live in a country where avoiding a DUI is something people boast about - "I'm a better driver when I've had a drink than my husband when he has" is something i've heard more than once over the years. Where I grew up if you drove drunk you would lose friends, whether you were caught or not. It's time to realize that maybe having a drinking age of 21 is contributing to more long term issues than it fixes . . . .
Lowering the age to 18 is fine by me, but I started drinking well before then. It had nothing to do with peer pressure or seeing my parents do it, it had to do with the simple fact that drinking is fun. Does that mean I want my daughter to drink before she is of legal age? No. But there has to be a way to keep the kids safe, because you are not going to stop them from drinking no matter what laws or what age restrictions you put out.
In the past I have looked down on parents I heard of that would let their kids drink in the safety of their home, but now I have changed my tune. I don't think alcohol is the devil, so if you can't stop your kids from drinking, is it better to at least control where they drink and how much?
I agree, the drinking age was 18 when I was a teenager, and it's 21 where we live now. I also had the same opinion about parents letting their children drink at home. Our oldest was never drawn into that social circle, so he wasn't a problem, our youngest, on the other hand, couldn't wait to turn 19, and go up to Canada to drink legally! The summer he was 19, he started asking if he could have friends overnight and have bonfires (we live on an acre, in a large home) he then asked if they could drink, at the bonfire. So, we had the big discussion, we could NOT condone the illegal aspect of the situation, and we would NOT supply alcohol, but if they chose to bring it to our house for his bonfire's, they were NOT to DRIVE ANYWHERE! I have to say, his group of friends were the greatest kids we've seen in a long time....they were always respectful, never broke anything, just hung out, enjoying the bonfire. We could see them from our bedroom window, and we kept an eye on them. I'd have 8 kids sleeping on various sofa's, and floors in the morning, but at least they were safe.
These kids are all in college now, and I know with certitude, that our son will NOT drive after he has been drinking, AND that is the most important lesson he learned. We would have been fool's to think these kids wouldn't have found "somewhere" to drink, if not at our house...
Jo An you are lucky none of those kids got in trouble with you letting them bring alcohol over. Many folks get in trouble and sued for that.
Yup, that's why they weren't allowed to leave our house....
In the good ol days no one gave a @!$%#, so no reporter reported it. So no teenager spoke out. Been there, done that.......
And ya know? Parents back in my days of youth would often allow the parties at their own homes, under their supervision.. keys were given at the door and no one allowed to leave. It was figured that we were going to drink and party regardless, so it was for the best that we do it where there were adults around to make sure no one got hurt.
Of course, nowadays, that is considered absolutely abysmal parenting and contributing to the delinquency of minors, but as I said, it was a system that worked very well in keeping a bunch of drunken teenage idiots off the roads and out of trouble. We all managed to survive under such barbaric irresponsibility.
Was it a perfect way of doing things? no.. But it is not a perfect world we live in. In a perfect world, the lessons, values and commandments that you teach your kids are always taken to heart and followed to a tee... but that's not the reality. No matter how good a parent you are, a child can and will misbehave, given the right circumstances. If you think your child has never done any mischief, you've either kept them locked up or they've been very discreet.
It doesn't matter if what you did worked with your child, no two kids are exactly alike. That's why there is no definitive book of "how to raise your kid"... and before any of you tell me "Oh I NEVER misbehaved!" ... save it, because I won't buy it.
I myself, partied my butt off when I was a teenager, and I had a great time doing it. Now, I'm a successful adult with a family of my own. I feel pity for my kids that this country has become such a place of intolerance, but thankfully I still have many years before I have to deal with this madness. I'll do my best, but in the end, one can only hope their kids listen to reason and wisdom and stay out of trouble.
okay this might be a little off the subject but my cat had kittens. does anyone want a kitten? it looks like they all turned out to be republicans except the one I named SNOT. There free
What color is your snot?...I'll give it some thought...
Sorry Judd,
I can't have any Republican cat's, my Democratic dog, would eat it! Luckily, the iguana, and the turtles are Independent's, so they tolerate the dog....
Yep, teens love to drink, that is not news. However, if you're to stupid to keep your face or name out of the local news, you get what's coming to ya. It's always been the cat-and-mouse game between kids and parents, this woman just put it on TV.
Youth will always find ways to rebel ...the have done it for eons. The problem is, we have a generation of parents who have no control over their children's media access. I cannot imagine, when I was growing up, that children would threaten adults about their opinion of bad behavoir and get away with it. OH, how in the name of all that is right and Holy, does every conversation come back to the Dem RepS? I am waiting for conservatives to blame the Grim Reaper, ie , everyone one has one ticket out, on the Demorcrats?
Edward R. Murrow she is not.
The only news story I see here is that kids threatened a reporter and her kids. That's out of line and those kids need some Juvenal Detention or Community Service time for it. I personally would prefer it if real discipline would be allowed again. I'm a 31 year old liberal child of hippies who spanked me each and every time I got out of line, and I thank them for it. Regardless of that, I did my fair share of underage drinking and sex, and a very occasional experiment with drugs beyond that, and there was just about nothing except chains that would have stopped me. But never in my wildest imagination would I threaten a reporter or her kids for reporting on it. Oh, and for those parents who insist there christian raised angel would never do that, well I was at the same parties they were, and they were WAY worse than me.
@ Judd
I am willing to bet that those kittens were all born democrats but once their eyes opened up they change to republicans.
My bulldog's an independant...he want's any kitty regardless of orientation as a chew toy...
Bottom line is that some people have faced grave dangers to report news. This idiot is supposed to be a HERO because (eventually) she still did her job despite what people SAID?! For the most part on FACEBOOK? Don't think she'll be reporting from the middle east any time soon!
I wrote the above BEFORE learning of the death of Anthony Shadid YIKES apples and oranges!
Too young to drink, are we talking about the 18-20 year old's that we train and send into battle to kill other human beings? THOSE underage drinkers?
Stupid just plain stupid... Maybe instead of abstinence we should teach responsibility?
The people of the United States have a social cancer. I have never before witnessed such intolerance and contempt of a people toward their own in a country that considers itself "free". The self-righteous and sanctimonious attack with the vitriol of scared dogs locked in a cage. Grow up Americans. Adults teach by example. Your children are acting extreme because YOU are acting extreme. Alcohol and drug use are often forms of self-medication. Ask yourselves; "What do our kids think we adults are doing?" The answers will be worth listening to...
Cat had kittens...whose fault? of course the Democrats...they'll screw whatever is in their way.
Muse whatever...your probably a muslim and hate everyone including your own religion and people. Of course you were around to know better times in this country...wigga plz.
America is a nation of self-absorbed haters. They are narcissists that regard any differentiation as a threat to their personal beliefs. To question an American is equalivant to an attack. Americans are not only polarized, but they believe in polarization. "You are either with us or against us." Ask yourself... "Does the notion that I may not agree with you scare you?"
But I admit that I have digressed... the irony that racks my mind is that American parents can legally teach their children to use weapons; i.e. shoot guns at things or animals; yet those same adults may be dragged into court for teaching their children responsible drinking habits. And to all those wanting less government in our lives... how do you respond to that?
"hungrymongoose": Time to change your medication so you can come back to reality. I'm not saying the Democrats are totally innocent, but the republicans telling the truth? That is not only bull, it is a dangerous statement as the republicans have been destroying this country for years. It started in the Bush area, and now continues in the house of representatives. The party of "NO" has one purpose, to destroy this country so business can have full freedom to enslave as many people as they can. They want to change the laws to kill off the elderly so they can take their money they earned and saved to fill their pockets.
How do I know, I lived comfortably until Bush hijacked his election and we have been heading down hill since then. Now I am wondering how long I can keep my house. I am living the republican destruction of America!
Mike, seriously, stop taking hungrymongoose's medication.....it's turning you into a complete democrat party symbol.
It's not the Republicans, nor the Democrats that are destroying America... it's the unmitigated finger pointing of one group against the other. Both of you are just like children arguing over a toy; "It's mine! No, it's mine!" Settle down. Relax. America belongs to all Americans. Now with that said; you both have been acting horribly. You should have a "time out" to think about what you have said and how it affects those to whom it was said.