Jacey Birch shared revealing festival photos after her news director warned staff against “cringeworthy” influencer-style posts.
The WPLG anchor, whose age was not reported, posted the images over the weekend from Electric Daisy Carnival in Orlando, a massive electronic dance music festival where she posed in an outfit that exposed the sides of her breasts. The photos drew complaints from colleagues who questioned why management had not intervened, according to industry site FTVLive.
At least 10 journalists sent FTVLive links to Birch’s posts, with some expressing frustration over what they considered inappropriate behavior for a television news anchor. The outlet also cited a WPLG newsroom insider who claimed Birch had been warned about her social media activity previously but continued posting revealing content despite management’s concerns.
The incident follows a February memo from WPLG Vice President of News Bill Pohovey that warned staff against posting content that could undermine their credibility as journalists. Pohovey emailed the directive to staff on Feb. 11, telling them: “I’m exhausted to have to repeat this but we are not influencers, we are journalists.”
“We don’t want dance videos with our staff. We don’t want fashion shows, outfits of the day, or other silly content that detracts from you as journalists,” Pohovey wrote in the memo.
He extended the warning to personal accounts, reminding employees that they represent the station even off the clock. “Whether you are working or not, you still represent the station and must always remember your role as a credible, trusted journalist, not a Kardashian. Some of what I see is cringeworthy,” he wrote.
One WPLG staffer accused Pohovey of failing to enforce his own standards, telling FTVLive: “Pohovey doesn’t have the balls to take any action, he’s spineless.”
FTVLive showed Birch’s photos to four television news directors, all of whom said they would have considered disciplinary action against her, up to and including termination.
Pohovey’s memo became public during an earlier controversy involving fellow WPLG anchor Jenise Fernandez, who posted photos from a Fiji vacation showing her in a red bikini, including images at a floating bar and taking shots with friends. FTVLive initially reported, citing newsroom insiders, that the memo was circulated after Fernandez shared those photos. But Pohovey disputed that timeline, providing The Post with a screenshot showing the Feb. 11 email date, months before her trip.
“The memo didn’t tell employees they couldn’t post vacation photos or other daily life activities on their personal social pages,” Pohovey said at the time. “We do live in Florida and people wear bikinis on the beach. These photos were tasteful and completely fine.”
New York-based communications strategist Amore Philip, who has advised corporations, governments and media brands for 16 years, argued that posting revealing photos while off duty does not necessarily violate professional standards. “On the facts reported so far, no. A festival photo on a personal account, under a memo the news director says did not prohibit daily-life posts, is not a disciplinary event,” Philip said.
“A social media policy only protects a brand when it is written clearly, shared in advance and enforced the same way for everyone,” Philip continued. “If male anchors post game-day photos or nights out with no consequence, singling out a female anchor for festival photos creates a double standard that is a bigger reputational risk to the station than the photos.”
The Post has sought comment from Pohovey and Birch.