Her skirt was 1.5 inches above the knee
A reporter seeking to cover an execution in Alabama was turned away by the Department of Corrections because her outfit was deemed “inappropriate.”
Ivana Hrynkiw Shatara, who works as a video news producer for Alabama Media Group, was turned away from viewing the lethal injection execution of Joe Nathan James on Thursday, July 28. While other members of the press were permitted entry, Shatara revealed on Twitter that security thought her choice of clothing was “too revealing.”
“I have worn this skirt to prior executions without incident, to work, to professional events and more, and I believe it is more than appropriate,” Shatara wrote.
Luckily, the journalist was able to borrow rain pants from a photographer, which she held up with suspenders under her skirt. AL.com is now in the process of filing a “formal complaint.”
Speaking to the New York Post, Shatara said the skirt was A-line, black, 1.5 inches above the knee and from the clothing brand Philosophy.
She explained: “At 5ft 7in, and 5ft 10in with my heels on, I am a tall and long-legged person. I tried to pull my skirt to my hips to make the skirt longer but was told it was still not appropriate.”
But the change in bottoms was not enough for the court, who insisted she swap out her open-toed heels.
In other news… pic.twitter.com/hoSlZJTCys
— Ivana Hrynkiw Shatara (@IvanaSuzette) July 29, 2022
“I was told my shoes were also too revealing…and needed to change shoes,” she said, though she was able to get tennis shoes from her car. “This was an uncomfortable situation and I felt embarrassed to have my body and my clothes questioned in front of a room full of people I mostly had never met.”
The journalist added: “I sat down, tried to stop blushing and did my work.”
I’m in Atmore, Alabama for tonight’s set execution of Joe Nathan James Jr. He is scheduled to be executed at 6pm for the 1994 shooting death of Faith Hall. Follow this thread 🧵 for details throughout the night. https://t.co/29QZq2GT5t
— Ivana Hrynkiw Shatara (@IvanaSuzette) July 28, 2022
Ultimately, Shatara believes that “if there is a dress code, ” the press needs to be informed of it before the execution.
As she explained: “There has never been, at least in the past decade that my coworkers and myself have covered executions in Alabama, a dress code revealed to reporters or enforced.
“The published visitor policy does not mention members of the media, nor execution protocols. It also doesn’t mention closed-toe shoes and only addresses women’s attire.”
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