ABC’s Good Morning America co-anchor Lara Spencer made a comment about boys doing ballet while on air on Aug.  22, sparking a controversy that could have been avoided had she said nothing.

The statement came up when Spencer was discussing England’s Prince George’s passion for ballet and dancing, to which she said, “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

The entire situation could have been prevented if she remembered that she was doing a job and not sharing her views with friends.

It’s understandable that newscasters and other public figures want to be casual and entertaining so that the audience will continue to remain engaged, but it is important that they don’t get too comfortable.

Though a reporter may wish to seem relaxed and relatable to their audience, they must still behave as though they are doing a job — which they are — and they need to have that boundary between what they think and what they say on air.

No matter the station or channel, anchors need to display professionalism and uphold a certain level of media ethics. This still needs to be the case when covering softer topics, such as the story Spencer was discussing. We as a society need to continue holding our journalists to a higher standard of professionalism, even if it means our newscasters are a little more serious while on air.