Meteorologist Receives Backlash After Texting His Wife On Air During Severe Weather
"I am a husband and a father FIRST."
Gorodenkoff | Shutterstock Nick Jansen, a meteorologist from Rochester, Minnesota, experienced bizarre criticism when he took a moment from his on-air broadcast during severe weather to text his wife to make sure she and their infant daughter were safe. Jansen’s move received so much backlash from viewers that he felt the need to defend himself on social media.
There’s a lot of talk about work-life balance in our culture. Many people would agree that, given the choice between their job and their family, their family comes first. Unfortunately, making this choice often comes with consequences, ones that Jansen became all too familiar with..
A meteorologist was caught sending a text to his wife in the middle of a severe weather broadcast.
During a period of severe thunderstorms that hit Rochester and the surrounding area, Jansen was on air covering the weather for local station KTTC. During a brief reprieve when another member of Jansen’s team was offering an update to viewers on power outages across the area, he believed he had a private moment to quickly send a text to his wife to check on her and their daughter. Unfortunately for him, in the middle of the power outage update, the camera turned back to Jansen, who was still texting.
Dennis MacDonald | Shutterstock
He didn’t miss a beat. He quickly concluded sending the message and told viewers, “Sorry, I just had to text my wife. Baby was sleeping well tonight, so that’s gonna be over with at this point in time.” According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, one viewer sent an email to the station with a very harsh critique of Jansen’s quick text. “That he has to call his wife to make sure she takes the baby to safety? Maybe some people think it’s noble or cute. I don’t,” they said.
The meteorologist was called unprofessional for texting his wife on air, so he explained why he did it.
In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Jansen shared why he made the decision to do what this particular viewer, and surely others, thought of as “unprofessional.” He said, “I take my job and your safety very seriously. But I’m also a husband and a father.”
“In the middle of severe weather, I decided to take a brief moment to make sure my wife and child were safely in the basement. That’s not me being unprofessional, it’s me being human,” he argued.
Thankfully, tens of thousands of people commented on Jansen’s post with messages of support. “You took five seconds while someone else was talking to check on your family during severe weather. Trolls will troll. Carry on, brother,” one person said.
No matter what your job is, it’s important to remember that family comes first.
I think it’s interesting that someone took such offense to Jansen’s actions when they didn’t interrupt his work at all. He was not reporting at the time. Someone else was speaking, but the camera just happened to pan back to Jansen, who was sending the text. When it was his turn to talk, he jumped right in. There was no awkwardness.
Caleb Oquendo | Pexels
Author James Sudakow wrote about just how beneficial it can be to put your family first over your career for Inc. Sudakow, who owns a boutique consulting firm, is the sole provider for his family. “Over the last year, I took a different approach to my work-life balance,” he said. “I put my family first … By putting my family first, I actually ended up enjoying my work more and doing a better job at work.”
If your family is comprised of the people you care about the most, it makes sense that you would put them first. Doing so will not only show them how much they matter to you, but also remind you of what is truly important in life. If anything, Jansen's actions should make viewers appreciate him more for showing his humanity and his love.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
