Overview
- An internal memo from WPLG Vice President of News Bill Pohovey, obtained by industry site FTVLive, told staff to stop posting "foolish nonsense" and to avoid influencer-style content on social platforms.
- The memo, which newsroom management says predates recent attention, specifically forbids creating social-media content inside the station, in the newsroom or on studio sets.
- WPLG anchor Jenise Fernandez posted bikini photos from a Fiji vacation to her verified Instagram account, and those posts helped trigger wider media coverage of the memo.
- Pohovey told reporters the directive was not written in response to a single employee, that it was a reminder of long-standing guidelines, and that Fernandez's vacation photos were "tasteful and completely fine."
- The dispute highlights a broader industry tension as local newsrooms try to limit influencer-style posts to protect credibility, and it could prompt clearer social-media rules and internal enforcement at other stations.