Darcy Pohland, a 48-year-old reporter at WCCO-TV in Minnesota, was found dead in her home today.
We talk a lot on this blog about women who break barriers and make a difference in their communities. It is for this reason that we take a moment to honor Pohland, who, due to a swimming accident, was permanently paralyzed from the chest down. She was one of the few quadriplegic reporters of either gender currently serving in television news. She began at WCCO in 1983 as an intern and worked her way up the ladder to become a reporter for the station.
I never had opportunity to meet Pohland in person, but had admired her tenacity and “gumption” for several years. In her honor, I’m going to make it a point today to reach out to a couple of other female journalists and let them know how much I appreciate the work they do, and the challenges they have overcome.
Initial reports are that Pohland died in her sleep, and an immediate cause of death is not known.
