Jessie Lunderby is a 21-year-old Arkansas correction officer, who posed nude for Playboy's June 7th Cybergirl of the week. After her bosses learned this news, she was put on administrative leave Sunday by the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Fayetteville, Ark.
However, Jessie believed that she didn’t do anything wrong, she said, “They knew about it, I informed them about it. They had plenty of time to say no...They never said no.” And the Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder responded that, “What she did wrong is up for debate. That includes bringing down the reputation of the law enforcement division in the eyes of the public.”
This issue evoked intense discussions online, some people believed that what she did was right, she shouldn’t be fired by the Department. However, others agreed she should be fired – “not only for posing for Playboy - but for her disrespectful attitude toward her superiors which she publicly expressed.”
The discussion put pressure on both Jessie and the Department. This issue was supposed to be a private issue between Jessie and the Department, but now, be benefited from the web2.0 technology, audiences could participate in the news discussion by adding comments on the official news website, and the discussion actually made this issue more public and controversial. Sometimes this kind of online discussion could be very powerful and influential in real life.
Web2.0 application on journalism makes citizen journalists become possible. Audiences not only look at news stories from professional journalists’ perspective, they also can see other audiences’ opinions on the same issue by reviewing the comments under each piece of news. More important, they can actively engaged into the news by posting their own thoughts on the comments section. At last, the news websites also provide many other ways (Facebook, Twitter and blog) for people following the news and conducting further discussion.
I remember when I heard about this. I don't think she should be fired, especially if her bosses knew. But leave it to the media to blow things up.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Fallon, as long as the prisoners have no access to the Playboy that has Jessie's nude photos, that should be ok and safer to her...
ReplyDeleteI've saw this before and still remembered it. It is unfair but I also can understand her boss to some extent. Maybe we can built two types blogs or facebook pages, one for private life and one for work. : )
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ms.Q, it is unfair, especially if she asked ahead of time, but it is also easy to understand her boss. Reputation has become a huge part of how we judge people in society and if her police force is only remembered through that as long as she is on staff, then it may continue to provide controversy instead of support. It may also put a bad light on female officers, whatever role they play in their agency.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that whatever people do with their private lives ought to be private and up to their own discretion. It becomes more complicated when aspects of private lives become public and in some manner and jeopardize parallel professional lives and the associated institutions. I agree with the idea of maintaining two kinds of social networking sites, one personal and the other business/professional/academic. However, if a person has chosen a profession and is committed to it, it would make sense that the personal life would complement rather act as a contradiction to the values and ethics associated with the professional choice.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't seen this controversy prior to your posting of it; and I'm not really sure where I stand with my thoughts about the whole situation (but that might just be my more modest side poking out this evening!). But I do kind of think that it probably was more of a private matter that got blown way out of proportion because everyone else picked up on the story given the quick sharing people are able to do with Web 2.0 technologies. Should she have completely lost her job? Probably not; a strict reprimand probably would have sufficed.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how she could be fired, but if they knew I find it ridiculous she would be fired.
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