Reporter Fired For Using Blog As Public Confessional

Here’s just another reason why sometimes one’s thoughts really need to be kept private. Blogs are certainly all the rage and help to expel grievances of the day, but, if you’re a professional in the field of journalism, or any field that makes you a public target, you might want to take a step back and evaluate what you write on a day-to-day basis.

ABC-affiliated WAAY-TV reporter Shea Allen, out of Huntsville, Alabama got in a bit of trouble when she decided to take her personal blog and make it a confessional one that details the behind-the-scenes aspects of her job as a reporter.

Allen titled her post: “Confessions of a Red Headed Reporter,” which was sure to bait interest of a few people. The post included an organized list of her own revelations:

1. I’ve gone bra-less during a live broadcast and no one was the wiser.

2. My best sources are the ones who secretly have a crush on me.

3. I am better live when I have no script and no idea what I’m talking about.

4. I’ve mastered the ability to contort my body into a position that makes me appear much skinner in front of the camera than I actually am.

5. I hate the right side of my face.

6. I’m frightened of old people and I refuse to do stories involving them or the places they reside.

7. Happy, fluffy, rainbow stories about good things make me depressed.

8. I’ve taken naps in the news car.

9. If you ramble and I deem you unnecessary for my story, I’ll stop recording but let you think otherwise.

10. I’ve stolen mail and then put it back. (maybe)

After publishing the post, the powers that be at WAAY-TV got wind of her tidbits and pressured her to take the post down. She agreed to take the post down but then had a change of heart and put it back up with a “No Apologies” intro to her post.

This morning the reporter revealed that she was fired, and, in her opinion, she was “terminated without cause” for her post.

@AndrewKirell If you want to add a bit more candor to your article…I was “terminated without cause” for said post.

— Shea Allen (@SheaMallen27) July 29, 2013

Allen went to Twitter and left her readers with final words: “If I’m going to take a stand on transparency, I gotta tell the whole story.”

Do you agree that WAAY-TV did the right thing?

[Image credit: xavier gallego morell / Shutterstock]