June 21, 2016
Former Pittsburgh news anchor Wendy Bell, fired from her position with WTAE in March, has filed a federal lawsuit charging race discrimination against the station for dismissing her after she wrote a controversial Facebook post about a fatal ambush shooting in Wilkinsburg.
WTAE parent company Hearst Television announced it would end its relationship with Bell in response to a viral post in which she suggested the shooting suspects, who killed six people during a cookout on March 9, likely fit the profile of "young black men" familiar with the criminal justice system.
Bell, a white woman, was officially dismissed because her comments were deemed "inconsistent with the company's ethics and journalistic standards," Hearst Television said in a statement at the time.
On Tuesday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Bell's attorney Sam Cordes filed a federal suit seeking her reinstatement based on the station's alleged race discrimination.
“But for her being the race that she is, the decision would have been very different,” Cordes told the Post-Gazette. “The comment was not intrinsically racially pejorative. It was interpreted to be that way.”
Bell issued an apology for the March 20 post and later deleted it after commenters expressed both outrage and support for her stance. The following passage in the lengthy message, saved via screenshots, drew the fiercest backlash:
Screenshot of Wendy Bell's Facebook post on March 20, 2016.
"Bell may have meant well, but damage is about impact, not intent. Careless, presumptive and ignorant musings have no business flowing from the keyboards of journalists for public consumption," read the PBMF statement.
Bell's lawsuit points out that her dismissal did not come until March 30, the same day WTAE held a meeting with PBMF officials to discuss her comments and address racial diversity issues. PBMF claims it did not suggest or ask for Bell to be fired.
Cordes contends that WTAE had control over Bell's Facebook account and could have immediately edited the post if it felt her message violated journalistic ethics. A torrent of critical comments mounted into a since-deleted Facebook campaign, "Demand WTAE Hold Wendy Bell Accountable," that urged swift action against the longtime anchor.
Bell's supporters, numbering more than 20,000, have joined two Facebook groups opposed to her termination. Many commenters also applauded her honesty and argued that the spirit of her message was twisted out of context. Following her dismissal, Bell told The Associated Press that she didn't get a "fair shake."
"What matters is what's going on in America," Bell added, "and it is the death of black people in this country."
Bell also set up her own Facebook page and has picked up more than 75,000 followers, although she has yet to land a new position. Cordes said her struggle is due in part to a contractual noncompete clause that WTAE will enforce until March 30, 2017.
The lawsuit seeks back bay, attorney fees and a demand that Hearst be permanently enjoined from discriminating or retaliating against Bell. A gender discrimination claim is expected to be added to the lawsuit upon receipt of a right-to-sue letter from the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.
Bell spent 18 years with WTAE and earned 21 regional Emmy awards during her time with the station.
