Amid Lindsay Clancy’s trial, journalist Brittany Romano was dropped by Vanity Fair after she was seen smiling and winking at a pool camera for the trial’s live feed on Monday, August 24. Vanity Fair has confirmed she was credentialed to cover the trial. Brittany also had a personal connection to Lindsay.
In a statement sent to Fox News, Vanity Fair said, “We were interested in the prospect of a personal essay by Brittany Romano about her experience growing up with Lindsay Clancy. others have questioned her supporters about how they can back a mother who killed three children, no matter what the circumstances were While Lindsay has been getting overwhelming support. A social media war has broken out between those who support Lindsay and those who do not. In the midst of the growing debate, many have wondered if an employer can fire them for supporting Lindsay. New York City based attorney Nicole Brenecki has answered the question.
Yesterday, after clear conflicts with our editorial standards and processes, we informed Romano that we were not moving forward with her essay and informed the court that she is no longer credentialed by Vanity Fair.
The Massachusetts mother is facing three counts of murder in the killings of her children Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months. Because of a particular viewpoint does not automatically mean the employer did something unlawful, an employee can certainly challenge a termination, but being fired. “The key distinction is between being able to sue and actually having a legal basis to sue. There generally needs to be some legal protection that the employer violated, for example, a law protecting certain political activity or lawful off-duty conduct, protections that may apply to public employees, anti-discrimination or retaliation laws, or contractual rights. So whether someone fired for supporting Lindsay Clancy would have a viable claim really comes down to the facts, the employment relationship, and the laws that apply in that jurisdiction,” she explained.
Whether an employer can fire someone for expressing support for Lindsay Clancy will depend on a number of factors, including the jurisdiction, whether the employer is public or private, what exactly the employee said or did, and whether it happened at work or outside of work,” Brenecki said in an email shared with HT.com. “The biggest misconception people have is that their right to free speech follows them into the workplace and prevents a private employer from taking action based on what they say. Generally, that is not the case.
