Anchor responds to viewer’s letter about her weight

A television news anchor in western Wisconsin said a viewer who wrote her an email criticizing her weight is a bully.

Jennifer Livingston responded to the email Tuesday morning during a four-minute segment on WKBT-TV in La Crosse.

She said in her response that while she tried her best “to laugh off the very hurtful attack on my appearance,” her colleagues couldn’t do the same, especially her husband, Mike Thompson, who is WKBT-TV’s 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. anchor.

Livingston said her husband posted the email on his WKBT Facebook page, “and what happened next has been truly inspiring.”

“Hundreds and hundreds of people have taken the time out of their day to not only life my spirits but take a stand that attacks like this are not OK,” Livingston said.

To the viewer who wrote her the email, Livingston said, “You know nothing about me than what you see on the outside, and I am much more than a number on a scale.”

She pointed out that October is national anti-bullying month, and that the problem of bullying, including over the Internet, is growing everyday.

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“We need to teach our kids how to be kind, not critical, and we need to do that by example,” she said.

She told young viewers not to allow bullies to define their self-worth.

“We are better than that email. We are better than the bullies that would try to take us down,” she said.  

Watch video of Livingston on Live at Five