The “Today” show is responding to a handful of critics in Florida who believe a recent segment “unfairly labeled” their city.
Last Tuesday, NBC’s Kerry Sanders reported live while driving through a parking lot in Wellington, Fla. on the rise in car surfing incidents across the country. His story included several video clips from YouTube and reported on two recent deaths in De Bary, FL, north of Orlando. But some in Wellington wonder why their city was included in his story, which appeared simply to be a backdrop for his live shot.
The village manager, Paul Schofield, “wants a clarification from the Today show,” writes The Palm Beach Post‘s Frank Cerabino. The Broward-Palm Beach New Times reports, “The City of Wellington wants a correction from Matt Lauer,” who introduced the segment. And councilwoman Anne Gerwig brought it up at last week’s council meeting: “The implication is clear from watching it. It’s implying that it’s here, and it’s not.”
A “Today” spokesperson tells TVNewser, “The goal of the piece was to raise awareness about the serious dangers of car surfing. The was no inaccurate reporting in this story, and we stand by it 100 percent.”
Video of the “Today” segment is after the jump…