Can a Journalist Have a Different Opinion than Her Publisher?

Can a journalist have an opinion different from her publisher and keep her job? Not in Miami these days, if the case of Trisha Posner, Ocean Drive's monthly "Health Watch" columnist is any barometer. Trisha, a journalist -- and my wife -- committed the fireable offense by appearing for 45 seconds in an 8 minute video shown before the Miami Beach Planning Board, supporting the notion that her South of Fifth neighborhood was a residential one, and that a loophole allowing large hotels and entertainment complexes should be closed (the video is on YouTube).

The video, directed by Emmy-award winning documentarian, Robyn Symon, was the opening of a contentious meeting in which dozens of local residents squared off against a phalanx of real estate developers, high powered attorneys, some of the town's best lobbyists and publicists, and representatives of the hotel and entertainment industry. Trisha did not speak at the event, but in the video, introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Trisha Posner. I'm a journalist and columnist for Ocean Drive magazine. I am married to Gerald Posner, the author."

A publicist for a large hotel complex, waiting for Planning Board approval, called her counterpart at Ocean Drive. That hotel advertises in the magazine. What was somebody working there doing advocating restrictions on how fast and large the entertainment industry could expand? Ocean Drive, an oversized, glossy lifestyle magazine is the weight of a good doorstop. Its hundreds of pages are crammed with ads for hotels, nightclubs, dance parties, restaurants, and luxury real estate developments. The idea that a columnist, even a freelance one, might say something that could affect an advertiser, sent the magazine's publicist into frenzy. She ran up and down the aisles of the magazine's Washington Avenue headquarters looking for Powers, who was already at home.

When she reached him, he rushed to City Hall (the only time veterans there ever recall him making a public appearance on any political or development issue). The hearing on the zoning reform was long over. But he enlisted the help of a former mayor, Neisen Kasdin, to get him before the microphone, where Powers told the Planning Board that Ocean Drive was "in favor" of entertainment and hotels in South Beach. And as he stormed out of the room, he looked at the president of a local homeowner's association, and said, "And Trisha Posner is fired!"

No one from Ocean Drive told Trisha. But when several people at the hearing called to tell her of what had happened, she called her longtime editor, Eric Newill. He informed her that while her September column would run, as it was already printed, her already submitted and accepted October column was cancelled. Moreover, her services were no longer needed. Editor-in-Chief, Glenn Albin, later confirmed to her that she was dismissed.

When a Miami Sunpost reporter called Ocean Drive for a comment, Powers, Albin and Newill all refused. The next day, when Richard Johnson of the NY Post's Page 6, also sought a comment for a piece he was writing, no one from the magazine returned his calls.

Powers finally made his first public statements to Miami Herald's Joan Fleischman, writer of "Talk of the Town." He protested that he had not fired Trisha because of her opinion, but rather that she had used the Ocean Drive logo in the video. He's wrong, it was never used. "I didn't even know what the issue was," he claimed to Fleischman, "it was something about the development of restaurants and hotels."

"I never knew it was verboten to say who you work for," says Trisha. "Powers took a pinhead and made it into a volcano. I guess you can't work at Ocean Drive if you have a social conscience."

In an era of ever increasing corporate consolidation of the media, dismissals like that of Trisha Posner are stark reminders of how low on the totem pole freelance writers are often considered by their publishers. If advertisers are bothered by what a writer says, and the publisher backs the advertiser over the reporter, it sends a chilling message as to the fragility of the first amendment when it comes into direct conflict with bottom line profits.

Could a journalist for CBS say something that bothered advertisers of Viacom, its parent company? Or a Wall Street Journal reporter keep her job if she wrote a column that irked an advertiser for Rupert Murdoch's New York Post?

In Miami, a place where land developers and the tourism industry rule the town, Powers' decision might not make a big stir. But in the rest of the country, particularly New York, it is viewed as another sign of the gutting of journalism at the expense of business.

Posner, meanwhile, just landed a new writing gig, a monthly one at just launched Miami magazine. The president there is Leslie Wolfson, who for ten years had been Powers' co-publisher, until the two had a not very pleasant parting in 2005.

"I am a social activist," says Posner. "And I'm politically involved as well. But in this instance, I was only saying my neighborhood was residential. I'm not sure what is so controversial about that. But in any case, I'm going to continue to speak out about those matters I consider important. Ocean Drive can fire me, but they can't muzzle me."

Comments

[AbstractImp]

This is another reason why I do not read American newspapers and magazines, watch American television, or listen to American radio.

Bet you can't wait for the "Metro" version of the Wall Street Journal...­!

Enough said.

Ashamed to be an American..­..
for more reasons than any of you could count.

[tjdestry]

The issue of journalists getting involved in politics of any sort, including local, is very much alive in the industry. There are papers that encourage their writers to go on talk shows and papers that forbid it, but in all cases, they want to know ahead of time. This was one of the controversies around Don Imus -- was that an appropriate venue? Meet the Press is a different situation, but you probably won't see David Brooks saying anything unexpected there. The Times hired him to be David Brooks and he does that pretty consistently. As others have noted, when she identified herself with the magazine, she overstepped -- she hadn't cleared it with the boss and she was expressing an opinion that contrasted with the mission of the magazine.

And, by the way, it's also considered a little childish to use the power of a column to put your personal business in the street. But I suppose that's the difference between old and new media. Next up: My daughter didn't make the cheering squad, and I demand an investigation!

[knowledgeispower]

Yes indeed, for good or bad, it is the difference between OLD and new media...to be sure.

"And, by the way," If you haven't noticed tjdestry, everyone and their uncle presents their "work" credentials when they have a point to make these days. Childish? I disagree. You must be joking with that comment.

[Novista]

I was born in Florida and grew up there. Just glad I am now Far Away as Thomas Wolfe was right: "You can't go home again!"

The America of my youth is but a dream. Maybe it always was.

Some of you should consider context, as in, identifying oneself, and not interpreting intent or motivation. I'm with Gerald and Trish. You others will scream loudly when YOUR ox is gored.

[mamacat]

And now we see, by extension, one of the dangers of allowing someone like Rupert Murdoch to own a large segment of the American media. (This is not to say he had anything to do with your wife's firing.)

For the sake of argument, let's say that the owner of the magazine which your wife worked for owned a large percentage of American magazines. Then it would be reasonable to expect that anyone expressing anything other than what the owner wanted expressed would not have a job. Thus, the free press in America is diminished, and the role of the Fourth Estate in our democracy becomes one of propagandist instead of conscience.

It may or may not be legally possible to fire your wife for these reasons. It may or may not be possible for her to sue for wrongful termination. But, when a large percentage of journalists are afraid to speak their minds for fear of losing their jobs, that should not be possible in a free, democratic society.

[Spookcatcher]

A journalist loses a job for opposing the expansion of Entertainment Clubs, ect., in the Huge Leisure and Tourist Trap business in Miami, Florida and then gets surprised at her firing. Sounds like a smart business decision by the magazine to not lose its ad/money base. If the Jounalist (does that magazine qualify as journalism) cares about the public interest with genuine passion maybe she can write at another venue, or run for office..

[LGrace]

What happened is unfortunate, but it's pretty standard that journalists are forbidden from taking public political stances.

[repubstheirownworstenemy]

Of course journalists can have opinions that are different than their employers. How they convey those opinions matters, too.

I agree with previous posters - Ms. Posner should have simply introduced herself as a journalist and concerned citizen. The minute she dropped the name of the magazine she created an impression (whether on purpose or out of sheer irresponsibility) that her employer shared her views. Her bad.

[yappnmutt]

unfortunately your wife fired herself the moment she mentioned ocean drive. it sounds like she was trying to name drop. she may not have had that intent but appearances are all that matters especially to a magazine that embodies the south beach cache. besides, with all the complaints about the neighborhood why would anyone want to live there anyway unless they wanted the ocean drive lifestyle. personally, i liked it better when it was god's waiting room. the beach was all mine.

[Charity]

yappnmutt, i too remember south beach when it was a place to watch the surfers "braving" three foot waves behind the dog track. i even tried my hand at it one saturday (all day!) when i was 15 and came away with the worst sunburn in my entire life.

i grew up in miami in the 1950s/60s/70s, leaving in the mid-80s for up state.

i remember jerry powers when he was the publisher of "the daily planet," a throwaway alternative free newspaper. i've always been amused that he went on to publish that high gloss ad mag, ocean drive, since he was oh-so-coun­ter-cultur­e-give-it-­to-the-man in the hippie era.

one can't be surprised, however, that he rushed to defend his territory and advertisers.

i fall in line behind those who think ms. posner stepped over the line when expressing her personal opinion of south beach area growth. she was fine up to the point of mentioning she was a journalist but with the next breath she lost her case by mentioning ocean drive magazine.

why mention the magazine? for the panache that it might possibly bring to her appearance in the video, thus buttressing her stance against growth - or so she must have thought. this is the same reason, with all due respect, mr. posner, that she mentioned your name and that you are an "author." as relevant to what, may i ask?

where she works (or worked) has no relevancy to the argument. and again, with all due respect, neither is whom she is married to.

sorry, gerald. i know you both feel wronged, and i know it's sad to see continual growth of south beach, miami beach, and all of dade county. but she should have never mentioned ocean drive magazine, which derives its existence and continual survival on the very things ms. posner is trying to prevent.

and if you think south beach is a jewel now, just come and talk to both me and yappnmutt.

r.i.p, south florida.

[GenericBlogger]

This is more than just a different opinion, there is a conflict of interest and the termination is understandable.

[elleng]

Unfortunate as this sounds, we shouldn't be at all surprised; so-called journalists [not referring to Ms. Posner here] do practically nothing but reflect positions of their 'editors' in this country.

This is the reason that the U.S. public is uninformed about many of the important issues of the day; a truly informed public would never stand for the behavior/d­ecsions/ac­tions of 'public servants' and others in public view. Nor would the public tolerate NOT being informed about important matters and people about whom those in 'power' don't want us to learn.

[neoconcriminals]

Corporate facists.

Thank you George Bush.

[USAisOK]

Anyone care to venture a guess at the political affiliations of those involved?

[thesimulacra]

Oh man you're right! Nobody did this before he was elected; the world was a wonderful place filled with gumdrop rain and the streets were lined with gold.

Look I hate Bush as much as the next guy but when you start blaming this on him the only people listening to you are either with you already or laughing at you for being an idiot.

[GeneB]

"Ocean Drive is, each month, an oversized glossy the weight of a good doorstop, most of it splashy ads for night clubs, hotels, restaurants, real estate developments, and retail shops."

And Trisha wrote a column for them. She wasn't a journalist and this isn't a place you'd go to for hard-hitting. objective journalism. She was hired to write a column, she bit the hand that fed her, and she was fired. This is a surprise?

Trisha could have gone to the public hearing, identified herself as a responsible, tax-paying local resident, and said her piece. No problem. But when she mentioned "Ocean Drive" as her employer in the context of describing her credentials for giving testimony, she stepped over the line. She dragged them into it and she paid the price.

Sorry, Trisha. You have every right to speak your mind on issues that are important to you, but you screwed up in how you did it.

[RogerHWerner]

I agree with you. Trisha Posner screwed up. She never should have identified herself as a journalist for Ocean View. Whether she meant it or not, that identification linked her magazine with her opinion. Big mistake. Perhaps she would have been fired simply for being in the video but we can't know that. That would have been wrong since she has a right to express her views as a citizen.

[starcane]

I have to agree as well. By identifying herself by her employer, she is a representative of that employer. I would never say who I work for when expressing a personal opinion in public.

[altohone]

Since when is your right to express your views limited if you note where you work?

She didn't claim to speak for the magazine, so the firing is a violation of her rights. There was no linkage of her opinion with her employers.

Think about any talk show like The McLaughlin Group, an op-ed in a paper or punditry segment on a news program... every guests employer is listed under their name. Do they give up the right to express their own opinion? No.

Nobody assumes David Brooks is speaking for the NYT when he appears on the NewsHour, though his employer is mentioned when he's introduced. You guys are way off base.

For pete's sake, she wasn't arguing for a radical change. She was in favor of maintaining the status quo zoning in her own neighborhood. The nerve!

[1question]

"...just what are we suppose to think...wh­at are we suppose to do when the steno pool dosen't act like the echo chamber...­!?!?

[urbanrevolt]

What great friends of the community this magazine sounds like.
Any of them live in the area they attempt to exert control over, or are they just NIMBYin' yours?

[avergejoe]

Welcome to the 'real' world, or MSM. The author, at least, can publish his misadventures.

[PaMike]

Newsflash: You can be fired in America for any reason or no reason at all. And still union membership is in decline and a favorite whipping boy. Thanks for playing, you are fired.