A Miami news station director, Bill Pohovey, admonished staff in a memo to stop posting ‘foolish nonsense’ to their social media accounts. The memo was released as an anchor’s bikini-clad posts sparked discussion of whether they violated the policy.
Background
Pohovey, Vice President of News at WPLG, blasted his staff in an internal memo over influencer-like content that distracted from their journalistic mission. The memo was sent weeks ago, before the new pictures were posted.
The images appeared to show WPLG anchor and reporter Jenise Fernandez wearing a fire-red bikini while on vacation in Fiji. Pohovey told the New York Post that the memo ‘was not a response to one individual post [but rather] just a reminder of long-standing guidelines.’
Pohovey also reminded staff that they are not permitted to film social media content within the newsroom. He encouraged staff to consider applying the same rules to their personal social media accounts, adding that ‘Some of what I see is cringeworthy.’
Policy Reminder
Pohovey’s memo railed against current employees of the station, reminding them that their public persona should not detract from their roles as local journalists. ‘We don’t want dance videos with our staff. We don’t want fashion shows, outfits of the day, or other silly content that detracts from you as journalists,’ he wrote.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
