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America: prison says reporter’s skirt "too short" and open-toe heels "too revealing" to witness execution of death-row inmate

DiipuSurotu

DiipuSurotu

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
53,148
Alabama prison officials examined female reporters' clothing and tried to block a female reporter with AL.com from witnessing Thursday night's execution of a death-row inmate, saying her skirt and shoes violated a prison dress code.

Ivana Hrynkiw, a reporter and managing producer with AL.com, said she was told by Alabama Department of Corrections Public Information Officer Kelly Betts after she arrived at the media center at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore that her skirt was too short.
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"I have worn this skirt to prior executions without incident, to work, professional events and more and I believe it is more than appropriate. At 5′10″ with my heels on, I am a tall and long-legged person," she said on Twitter. Hrynkiw, an award-winning journalist, has attended and witnessed seven executions.

Hrynkiw said she tried to lower her skirt at the hip in an attempt to comply with Betts, but that didn't satisfy the prison official. In order to witness the execution for reporting purposes, she had to borrow a pair of Columbia PFG fisherman's waders from a local television photographer. The fishing gear was deemed appropriate attire.

"I put on the man's pants and attached the suspenders underneath my shirt to stay up," she said.
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Following the change of clothes, Hrynkiw was told her open-toed heels also violated policy. She was told to put on closed-toe shoes, and put on tennis shoes she had in her car.

The prison spokesperson said the skirt violated the prison's dress length policy, as well as her open-toed shoes, Hrynkiw said.
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After the incident, Hrynkiw and others asked for the dress code and Betts provided an online link to a prison visitation dress code. The dress code is mainly directed at women and states that "all dresses, skirts, and pants shall extend below the knee (females only). Splits/Slits must be knee length or lower (females only)." As for shoes, the only reference is made in the items prohibited include "slippers, shower shoes, and beach shoes."

Hrynkiw and other reporters who have been covering executions over the past decade have not had any prison official cite any dress codes for reporters. The prison spokeswoman admitted that reporters may not have known about the policy, and it had not been enforced before. She said the new warden of Holman, Terry Raybon, wished to enforce the policy.
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More at:
www.al.com

Alabama prisons say reporter’s skirt too short to witness execution

Alabama Department of Corrections officials subjected two female reporters to outfit checks and threatened to block an AL.com reporter from viewing Thursday night's execution.
www.al.com www.al.com

Tell me my thread is inappropriate if old
 
Kromeo

Kromeo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,872
Could have just quoted the first word of the article and that would have been enough
 
Biske

Biske

Member
Nov 11, 2017
8,273
If anyone in the prison saw a woman's toes, they would get so horned up, they would hulk out and destroy the place and all the inmates would escape.
 
Coyote Starrk

Coyote Starrk

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
53,074
Imagine standing in front of a woman and saying "You look too skanky to view this execution. Sorry."
 
Blackpuppy

Blackpuppy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,204
"We train young men to drop fire on people, but their commanders won't allow them to write "fuck" on their airplanes because it's obscene!"
 
AvianAviator

AvianAviator

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Jun 23, 2021
6,363
The dress code is mainly directed at women and states that "all dresses, skirts, and pants shall extend below the knee (females only). Splits/Slits must be knee length or lower (females only)."
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Waiting for the male reporter solidarity and having them all show up to executions with hot pants on, lmao

Patrick Bateman said:
This sounds super weird and disgusting..
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She's just saying that she wore the outfit before with no incident. So it's puzzling to her that she is now being barred.
 
Jedi2016

Jedi2016

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,699
It's not like she was going into the general population, none of the prisoners would have even seen her. She's basically a guest going into the office area, you don't enforce your company dress code on guests.
 
Daphne

Daphne

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
3,690
The ultimate state violence but since we objectify women we can't have anything that might make men think of sex!
 
7aged

7aged

Member
Oct 28, 2017
922
I'll be honest, I can't shake off that she was repeatedly offered the opportunity to dodge a bullet and not watch a man get killed and yet turned them down. If it was me, I'd go straight to the producer and say "oh gee I really wanted to cover the execution but I wasn't allowed in, so nevermind".

But since she's witnessed seven executions I guess she has no problem with that
 
Zaph

Zaph

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,102
Old warden didn't enforce the policy but the new one is - don't really see the problem? Below the knee skirts and no open-toe shoes are common formal workplace dress code.
 
Soap

Soap

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,198
America is such a weird fucking country. Yeah, sure, being told how to dress is a problem but I would say having fucking death penalty reporters is a bigger problem.
 
Parthenios

Parthenios

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
13,613
A big thing in incel/far right communities is that women are too provocative. After Roe this is probably them testing the waters with trying to normalize dress codes enforced upon women.
 
Buckle

Buckle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
41,118
We're about to kill someone and watch the life drain from their body but good god, woman...what are you wearing?
 
Indy in the Fridge

Indy in the Fridge

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
15,278
Zaph said:
Old warden didn't enforce the policy but the new one is - don't really see the problem? Below the knee skirts and no open-toe shoes are common formal workplace dress code.
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That rule is primarily directed at visitors. She's also a reporter not a prison employee so that excuse doesn't hold water either.

This was clearly a situation where a male with power chose to enforce a ridiculous rule to control a woman from being "too provocative."
 
Shig

Shig

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,240
4J55.gif
 
cameron

cameron

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
23,828
A reporter from AP had to deal with this nonsense too:
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The female reporter for the Associated Press was also subjected to stand in front of the media center room and have her outfit scrutinized, but Betts and a corrections officer determined she passed the dress code.​
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"This was unacceptable, unequal treatment," said Kelly Ann Scott, editor in chief and vice president of content for Alabama Media Group. "I'm proud to work with Ivana, who despite this treatment, continued to report the story with professionalism to our audiences in Alabama.​
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"This was sexist and an egregious breach of professional conduct. And it should not happen to any other reporter again."​
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The Associated Press, who also had a female reporter subjected to that same clothing inspection, also sent a letter to Ivey late Friday afternoon asking her office to investigate and "ensure such behavior is not tolerated and does not occur again.​
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"Singling out female reporters for arbitrary clothing inspections is humiliating, discriminatory and simply unacceptable behavior toward professional journalists trying to cover one of the most serious events they are called upon to witness," Julie Pace, Executive Editor The Associated Press, stated in the letter.​
 

Deleted user 119316

Account closed at user request
Banned
Jun 22, 2022
443
In fairness, you can't have a scantily-dressed woman distracting the manly man executioner from his duty.

Somebody might get hurt.

/s
 
Surakian

Surakian

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
10,875
Zaph said:
Old warden didn't enforce the policy but the new one is - don't really see the problem? Below the knee skirts and no open-toe shoes are common formal workplace dress code.
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I literally work for a government agency and the only dress code for the offices is to not have more than half of your bare skin showing and don't be naked at work. (We have other specific rules but that is due to the population we service and are strictly for safety purposes).

Any rules beyond that are outrageous and puritan.

She was also covered just fine. She was wearing what she always wears to work as a reporter. Who was going to see her? Nobody but the prison staff and other reporters and the other people viewing the execution.

All of this was just a form of shaming a woman and controlling a woman's body for the sake of embarrassing her.
 
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scurker

scurker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
660
While the sexism on display is disgusting, IMO this story is a much smaller story than the actual execution.

www.theguardian.com

Alabama executes Joe Nathan James Jr despite opposition from victim’s family

James had been sentenced to death in the 1994 shooting of his ex-girlfriend
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Alabama has executed a man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend nearly three decades ago, despite a request from the victim's family to spare his life.
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"Today is a tragic day for our family. We are having to relive the hurt that this caused us many years ago," Hall's family said in a statement published by the local TV station WIAT. "We hoped the state wouldn't take a life simply because a life was taken and we have forgiven Mr Joe Nathan James Jr … We pray that God allows us to find healing after today and that one day our criminal justice system will listen to the cries of families like ours even if it goes against what the state wishes. Our voices matter and so does the life of Mr Joe Nathan James Jr."
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The Alabama attorney general, Steve Marshall, urged Ivey to let the execution go forward, writing that "it is our obligation to ensure that justice is done for the people of Alabama".

"The jury in James's case unanimously decided that his brutal murder of Faith Hall warranted a sentence of death," Marshall said.

In response to a reporter's question, Ivey said on Wednesday she would not intervene.

"My staff and I have researched all the records and all the facts and there's no reason to change the procedure or modify the outcome. The execution will go forward," she said.
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The tldr; is the family of the victim had pleaded with Governor Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall to not proceed with the execution and were denied. It shows how little the state actually cares about justice, and how cruelty is the point. Unfortunately it seems this story has has been left in the shadows in favor of the story from the OP.

I think it's also worth noting that the reporter in question wasn't originally going to call attention to the incident before another reporter called it out:


View: https://twitter.com/IvanaSuzette/status/1552867043984265219
 
Surakian

Surakian

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
10,875
scurker said:
While the sexism on display is disgusting, IMO this story is a much smaller story than the actual execution.

www.theguardian.com

Alabama executes Joe Nathan James Jr despite opposition from victim’s family

James had been sentenced to death in the 1994 shooting of his ex-girlfriend
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com





The tldr; is the family of the victim had pleaded with Governor Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall to not proceed with the execution and were denied. It shows how little the state actually cares about justice, and how cruelty is the point. Unfortunately it seems this story has has been left in the shadows in favor of the story from the OP.

I think it's also worth noting that the reporter in question wasn't originally going to call attention to the incident before another reporter called it out:


View: https://twitter.com/IvanaSuzette/status/1552867043984265219
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Nope gotta make more room on the state-supported murder waitlist.

I hate how they didn't listen to the family. It makes no sense.
 
divisionbyzorro

divisionbyzorro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,771
Nikus said:
I mean, if there weren't reporters to witness executions, they would probably be done in even more inhumane conditions...
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Yeah - regardless of anyone's feelings on whether or not executions should happen, I should hope we all agree that since they are happening they had damn well better not happen in secret, should absolutely be open for reporters to attend, and reporters need to attend. It's the minimum amount of accountability/transparency required for such a thing.
 
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