Journalist loses her job after reporting about abuse allegations in West Virginia's foster care and psychiatric facilities

A West Virginia journalist lost her job last month after she reported about alleged abuse of people with disabilities within the state agency that runs West Virginia's foster care and psychiatric facilities.

Amelia Ferrell Knisely, a reporter at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, said she was told to stop reporting on the Department of Health and Human Resources after leaders of the embattled agency "threatened to discredit" the publicly funded television and radio network. She later learned her part-time position was being eliminated.

"I was let go from my job at WVPB last week following threats from DHHR about my reporting on DHHR's treatment of people with disabilities," Knisely wrote on Twitter Dec. 28.