Yesterday, FTVLive FIRST told you that it appeared that WBAL Reporter Kate Amara tried to use her position to get local leaders to stop a potential redistricting school plan (it’s OK, the other guys will try and catch up on the story today).

In a letter to the Howard County Council members, Amara propped herself up as the “lead political reporter at WBAL-TV.”

In her letter as a “concerned mother”, she mentioned her station so much, she might as well have sent it on the station’s letterhead.

It seems that the school district is looking into sending the poorer kids into the same school as Amara’s kids and God knows we can’t have that.

While this is a total breach of journalism ethics, it seems that WBAL is not taking much action against Amara.

In a statement yesterday afternoon, WBAL General Manager Dan Joerres said: “Upon reflection as a journalist, Kate acknowledges her actions in the matter were inappropriate. She will not be reporting on this story or any related stories.”

But she already did that.

On her station branded Facebook, Amara posted this about the redistricting plan.

After the FTVLive story, Amara deleted the post and has made no comment.

You have to wonder if FTVLive did not shine the light on this story, how much further Amara would have gone to try and stop the redistricting plan?

It is clear that WBAL had not taken any action until Hearst management read the FTVLive story.

Amara has been a Reporter for two decades in Baltimore, she is not a rookie starting out in Yuma. She had to know that what she did was wrong and yet still did it.

The letter was one thing, but the Facebook post on her station branded account was way over the line.

WBAL needs to be more transparent and needs to be open about this major lapse in journalism ethics.

Let’s hope that the station and Amara do a little bit more than “No Comment.”

Stay tuned…..