Personal Privacy and Compassion in Employment and Firing Decisions

Meteorologist Erick Adame

Professionals in the media know they can be terminated for conduct on the job, and on their personal time, that brings a negative light on their employer. Yet maybe that approach should be examined and questioned sometimes when it comes to privacy concerns, one expert says.

A meteorologist at a television station was fired after his employer, Spectrum News NY1, learned he had appeared on an adult cam website.

Erick Adame decided to respond publicly about his private life so the narrative that could be filled with inaccuracies would not thrive.

“Despite being a public figure and being on television in the biggest market in the country in front of millions of people five days a week for more than a decade and a half, I secretly appeared on an adult cam website.

“On this site, I acted out my compulsive behaviors, while at home, by performing on camera for other men. It was 100% consensual on both of our parts. I wasn’t paid for this, and it was absurd of me to think I could keep this private. Nonetheless, my employer found out and I was suspended and then terminated.”

Adame communicated an apology on Instagram.

“First and foremost, I unequivocally apologize to my employers at Spectrum, my co-workers, my audience, my family and my friends for any embarrassment or humiliation I have caused you. You expected and deserved better from me,” he said.

“I can’t take it back, and I can’t change what I did, but I am getting professional help I need so I can make appropriate decisions that don’t affect those I deeply care about, as well as my career, as I move forward in my life.”

He took responsibility for his contribution to his firing, writing that he “had the job of my dreams and I lost it due to my own lapse in judgment. But, I’m optimistic, and perhaps naïve enough to think that I can be back on television and do this again someday.”

Being a public figure and being fired is a hard experience. How one goes about responding is usually, not always, what determines the quality of one’s future. One specialist forecasts Adame proving resilient.

“Adame offered a transparent apology, which, coupled with his likable public persona and lack of previous scandals, should help him bounce back from this incident with minimal harm to his reputation,” says strategic communications specialist Katya Komarova, who is also the founder and public relations consultant at Wits PR, and an instructor at the University of South Florida.

The behavior came to be known because an anonymous person sent images from the adult web cam site to Adame’s employer and yes, his mother. Clearly, the intent was to cause significant harm and pain.

This is why, Komarova says, in this decision of the media company to fire Adame, there is something more at play, bigger even than the behavior that the media company felt was too dangerous to its reputation.

“I would shift the narrative from inappropriate content to the issue of privacy. Why are we talking about Erick and not the ‘anonymous user who sent images from the site to Adame’s employer and mother?’” she asks?

“How protected are we when sharing information on the internet? As a society that proclaims freedom of expression as one of its core values, should we punish someone for exchanging private content with those who proactively and enthusiastically expressed interest in receiving it?

“How many professional careers need to be destroyed, before we finally acknowledge the urgent need for better data protection?” Komarova asks.

Katya Komarova, public relations consultant and founder of Wits PR

Adame must agree as he has reportedly filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court against Unit 4 Media Ltd., to demand learning the identity of the person who shared the images.

How much privacy matters in personal affairs when it comes to job security, if laws were not broken and no one was hurt, is uncertain. How stakeholders view an organization if a member of an employer’s team is found to have done something considered inappropriate?

It’s unknow how likely it is Adame will rebound professionally as a meteorologist, again work in a large market and be able to move on from trauma and his life, without this incident forever hanging over his head.

There is the risk that his qualifications and potential impress prospective employers yet they determine that they won’t hire him for fear of viewer negativity. It’s something to observe.

“The decision on whether to hire Adame or not will be a litmus test for the employer's commitment to building an inclusive workforce and, eventually, a better world,” Komarova says.

“While I do not have a crystal ball and I am not familiar with the situation in detail, I am fairly confident that Mr. Adame's experience and enthusiasm for the profession will outweigh prejudice and the perceived reputational risks.”

Adame realizes what society is like now and he knows the challenges ahead. He communicated it to potential new employers.

“Please judge me on the hundreds, thousands of hours of television that I am so proud of and that my employers have always commended me for, and not the couple of minutes of salacious video that is probably going to soon define me in our ‘click bait’ culture,” Adame said.

If Komarova were providing PR consulting for a company considering hiring him, she knows how she likely would advise it.

“To stay afloat in the era of cable-cutting and short attention spans, public broadcasters need to put the interests of their audience first,” Komarova says.

“As consumers, we expect the media to accurately reflect the world we live in, celebrating diversity in gender, race, nationality, and sexuality. Hiring Mr. Adame could be a winning move for any news organization that wants to be seen as a leader in promoting inclusive and diverse communities.”

She elaborates on the type of mindset employers should or maybe need to consider when it comes to employee’s job security.

“With the mass adoption of social media, employees have turned into key stakeholders that require a strategic consistent communication strategy that rests upon mutual respect for one's goals, beliefs, life choices, and freedoms, including the right to privacy and the freedom of expression,” Komarova says.

“As PR experts like to say, ‘employee communications is the new marketing communications.’”

If Adame sought advice from Komarova, what professional suggestions or recommendations might she make?

“My advice for Mr. Adame would be pretty traditional. Figure out who you are. Determine what you want to be known for. Define your audience — your tribe — and show up for them. Get involved with issues and causes that matter to you. Remain vocal. Gain third-party endorsement and earned media,” she says.

Komarova quickly adds that Adame is already skillfully traversing his adversity.

“The truth is that Mr. Adame does not seem to need any professional advice,” she says. “So far, he has clearly announced who he is and what he stands for: ‘... I recognize that I have certain responsibilities that come along with the privileges I enjoyed. But, let me be clear about something: I don’t apologize for being openly gay or for being sex-positive — those are gifts and I have no shame about them.’ He seems genuine in his demeanor and transparent about both his personal values and professional aspirations.

“The bigger question is: are we kind enough to see it?”

Howard Bragman, Adame’s publicist, told Rolling Stone reporter CT Jones, that the meteorologist is “exhilarated by the overwhelming support.”