One reporter’s confessions about feel-good stories, going bra-free and her fear of old people may have been just a humorous exercise in freedom of speech.
But, she said, her station fired her for it.
Shea Allen, investigative reporter for ABC’s Huntsville, Ala. affiliate WAAY-TV, tweeted Monday that she was “terminated without cause” after re-posting a list titled “Confessions of a Red Headed Reporter” on her personal blog last week.
When reached, the station said "we cannot comment on personnel matters."
The list featured insights including, “I've gone bra-less during a live broadcast and no one was the wiser;” “I am better live when I have no script and no idea what I'm talking about;” “My best sources are the ones who secretly have a crush on me” and “I'm frightened of old people and I refuse to do stories involving them or the places they reside.”
Allen claims she was asked by her employer to take down the post, and she complied. But soon after, she re-posted the list and added “No Apologies” to the title as well as the following statement:
“This post was taken down because I was momentarily misguided about who I am and what I stand for. To clarify, I make no apologies for the following re-post. It’s funny, satirical and will likely offend some of the more conservative folks. But it isn’t fake and its [sic] a genuine look into my slightly twisted psyche.
Here’s the thing, I’ve vowed to always fight for the right of free expression. It’s allowed, no matter what the profession. I pride myself in having earned the respect of many because I make no apologies for the truth and hold nothing back. I don’t fight for things because they serve me, I fight for them because they are right. Sources trust me because I am an unadulterated version of the truth. I won’t ever bend just because its [sic] popular to do so and I’m not bending now.”
While Allen has received support on Twitter, reaction on the blog post was mixed.
“Not sure what you're standing up for, other than your ‘right’ to be shallow and insipid,” wrote one commenter. “Yes, you have ‘free speech,’ but the TV station also has the right to decide who is or is not a good representative of their station.”
Others gave Allen kudos for refusing to back down.
“On future resumes, you'll be able to take pride in the fact that you stood up for what you believed in, and you lost your job over it. It happened to me, too, years ago, and I recovered.”
What do you think?