Bell’s wounds were self-inflicted
I always liked Wendy Bell’s work as a news anchor on WTAE-TV. She was witty, apparently sincere, a bit saucy at times and thorough in her reporting. What disturbs me is how she could have screwed up so badly, with more than 18 years of experience with WTAE.
There are those who are championing her, contending her First Amendment “rights” were trampled upon by the management of the station. But let’s look objectively at this situation.
First, Bell was careless and stated her opinions on a company Facebook account assigned to her. After 18 years of working for WTAE, she should have been totally aware of the policies that the station has when it comes to reporters and anchors stating opinions before all of the facts are known. At the time of her post, the authorities had not made any arrests in the March 9 shooting in Wilkinsburg. Therefore, Bell did not know who the criminals are. She used conjecture and profiling, which were easily construed to be racist and bigoted.
Secondly, her First Amendment right to free speech was not abridged by any government body, which would be prohibited under the Constitution. A careful look at the wording of the First Amendment does not prohibit an employer from restricting an employee’s use of any media it owns, and the employer has the power to dictate how the media shall be used in the endeavor of its business. Bell knew this, but chose to use the company’s Facebook account. Whether WTAE’s policies are “politically correct,” as some opine, is completely immaterial to this case. Bell shot her mouth off by using a tool of communication owned by her employer to state her opinions for which she had no authority to do.
The burning question is whether it was appropriate to fire Bell. Should WTAE-TV’s management have been more tolerant? Would the management have shown humility and compassion for a longtime and popular personality by requiring an on-air apology, a suspension without pay, a reassignment, or ordering her not to use social media for an extended period? People in the Pittsburgh region are basically a compassionate and caring lot. I’d wager we would have been sufficiently satisfied if more appropriate actions were taken in this matter, and would have welcomed Bell back after a mea culpa was offered.
Ronald J. Yamka
Canonsburg