Should Nancy Snyderman Step Down From NBC? Debate Rages On TV And The Internet

NBC news anchor Nancy Snyderman is under fire from all directions after violating her quarantine, due to the possibility that she may have been exposed to the Ebola virus. Nancy has been criticized by everyone from Whoopi Goldberg to CNN’s legal analyst Paul Callan for her actions, especially because of the apology that she issued after the controversy began to brew. Many saw her response as flippant and are demanding that Snyderman step down from her position, reported the Washington Post.

“We remain healthy and our temperatures are normal. As a health professional I know that we have no symptoms and pose no risk to the public, but I am deeply sorry for the concerns this episode caused.”

Nancy has been a medical health correspondent for around 25 years between her time at ABC and her current post NBC. While in West Africa covering the Ebola outbreak, Snyderman and her crew risked being exposed to the virus. One cameraman, Ashoka Mukpo, who came into contact with the crew, later began to show symptoms of the virus, and was subsequently transferred to Nebraska to receive the proper medical attention. Nancy and her crew agreed to follow quarantine procedures for the length of the virus’ maximum incubation period — 21 days.

While Snyderman and her team have not shown any signs that they have contracted the Ebola virus, many members of the public and media are furious that Nancy surreptitiously broke her quarantine rules in order to go through the drive-thru of a local restaurant. In the aftermath, many have called for Snyderman to resign, but in an interview with CNN’s Brian Shelter on Sunday, former NBC medical correspondent Bob Arnot said that Nancy should be able to keep her job, even though he saw the entire incident as symptomatic of a greater problem in journalism.

“But the big problem now in journalism, Brian, is when you become the story, and this team became the story… There are thousands of people covering it, but why did they have to become the story and, sort of, posturing as they put their suits on and off and, you know, scrubbed and whatnot out in West Africa, as if they were actually treating patients. So, by coming back and sort of grandstanding and saying, ‘Look, we are self-quarantining,’ they really put a target on their back.”

Other colleagues have also voiced support for Snyderman. Susan Dentzer went as far as to say that the public’s fear of Ebola is causing them to make an irrational judgment on Nancy’s case, reported The Star-Tribune.

“She and her team clearly should have observed the terms of their quarantine, and she has said clearly that they made a mistake… But let’s put it in a broader perspective.”

While it is hard to gauge the public’s response to Snyderman’s actions overall, social media has been active with angered viewers who felt betrayed by Nancy’s breach of her quarantine agreement.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman’s “arrogance and dismissiveness” create a huge PR and credibility problem for NBC #tcotpic.twitter.com/evqCjg7Jbf

— slone (@slone) October 20, 2014

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[Image via NBC]