free speech can cost you
tommySt. Pete Times pop music critic Gina Vivinetto has “resigned” from the Times. Gina also wrote for Times blog Stuck in the 80’s, and *tbt’s Mr. Brady is Gay column.
Apparently, her employer found out she had contributed to the Ronda Storms myspace parody. Because of that, Times Editor Neil Brown says that Gina “Irreparably compromised her credibility.”
Well, I’m sure that Ms. Vivinetto felt terrible, just horrible about what happened, so she resigned, right? Somehow I don’t think so.
A newspaper is founded on the principle of free speech. Isn’t it ironic that her “credibility was compromised” because she voiced her displeasure in a public and satirical way. What message does this send?
The entire episode is very disturbing. I know there are several local writers with “unauthorized” blogs. They better watch what they say.
Meanwhile, Vivinetto is left swinging in the wind. Gina has her own myspace, which remains online for now, since the Times has no control over that. You can help, too: Head on over to Gina’s Bombshell Gallery in St. Pete, enjoy a coffee, and buy some stuff.
Tags: newspapers, politics, tampa
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May 5th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
This is unacceptable. I understand that freedom of speech protects us from the government; however, she should never have been fired for personal comments made on her own time.
What does this say about The St. Pete Times?
May 5th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Hypocrites!
May 5th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
Dude. What a crock. See my comment above re: St. Pete.
And there goes one of the better writers and all around cool cats that worked for the Times. She did much to give cred to to the tbt product. She’ll be hard to replace.
May 5th, 2006 at 1:55 pm
On the one hand, Gina probably didn’t do much reporting on Ronda, so it’s unlikely that her personal opinion would reflect on the Times’ coverage of Ronda. On the other hand, this gave Ronda plenty more reason to whine about how hostile the press is toward her, and it was probably not the smartest thing Gina could have done in retrospect. Yes reporters can have personal opinions, but how hard would it have been to post using a pseudonym? Then she could have made her point without implicating the Times (justly or not, it’s perception that matters).
Damn shame, too, because Gina’s a good writer, and we lost her over Ronda, who now gets more time to hang on the cross. *sigh*
May 5th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
You know, if Ronda is always crying about how unfairly she’s treated, how much she’s picked on and how everyone hates her - perhaps she should shut her gob and reflect on how she talks to people and the drama she creates with the histrionic and narrow-minded crap she spouts all over the place.
If she can’t take the heat she should get out of politics.
May 5th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Just goes to show it’s the a**hole politicians who wave wands we never gave them credit for even having. This gives me the shivers for the future.
Viva La Gina!
May 5th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
This is crap! I’ve lost a lot of respect for the St. Petersburg Times!
May 5th, 2006 at 4:49 pm
[...] So I sent an email to Gina Vivinetto to get her thoughts on the news… Yeah, my resignation. Let’s just say that wasn’t something that I woke up Thursday thinking I’d do. [...]
May 5th, 2006 at 10:51 pm
Newspapers (and the General Media) are fine, upstanding institutions upholding the torch of Free Speech. Full of integrity, they exist solely to ensure the public receives all facts. In no way are they self-serving. They are pure and always right. I bow to the media gods.
May 6th, 2006 at 12:39 am
Major reason I subscribe to the Trib is the smirking self-congratulatory attitude of the Times. Go Gina!
May 6th, 2006 at 2:53 am
Let me get this straight. Gina got fired for making a comment about Ronda Storms leaving her underwear behind at a gallery? Who’s to say she didn’t really leave her panties behind and isn’t just embarrassed about it?
May 7th, 2006 at 6:43 pm
I’m sorry … but is Gina a news reporter or a columnist? If she’s a news reporter, then she probably should’ve been smarter. But if she’s a columnist, which I suspect she might be …
May 8th, 2006 at 9:57 am
[...] This whole thing got me thinking… [...]
May 10th, 2006 at 8:57 am
Hey Ronda,
Try and stop this!
December 6th, 2006 at 1:23 pm
gina, gina,
you were unhappy anyway. it is not the end. it is the beginning of a better life then the one you have dreamed. why not tap your old friend Helen for a job at MSNBC?