Ivana Hrynkiw Shatara, managing producer for AL.com, says she was also told her open-toed shoes were too revealing by an Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) staff member. Ms Hrynkiw Shatara stopped as she arrived at the media center at the William C Holman Correctional Institution in Atmore Township and said her uniform violated the prison’s dress code. He visited the prison on July 28 to cover the execution of Joe Nathan James Jr, who was sentenced to death for the 1994 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Faith Hall, 26. In a statement shared on Twitter, the journalist said she had worn the same skirt to previous performances and other professional events “without incident,” adding: “I think it’s more than appropriate.” “Tonight, a representative of the Alabama Department of Corrections publicly told me that I could not see the execution because my skirt was too short,” she wrote. “At 5’7″, and 5’10” in heels, I’m tall and leggy. “I tried to pull my skirt up around my hips to make the skirt longer, but I was told it still didn’t fit.” A photographer lent Ms. Hrynkiw Shatara protective rain gear, including waterproof pants, which ADOC deemed appropriate. However, she then had to return to her car to change into her shoes after being told they were inappropriate. “Despite wearing waders from a man I’ve never met and casual tennis shoes, I continued to do my job,” he said. Image: death row inmate Joe Nathan James Jr Photo: AP But the incident left her feeling “uncomfortable”, Ms Hrynkiw Shatara added. “I felt embarrassed questioning my body and my clothes in front of a room of people I’d mostly never met. “I sat down, tried to stop blushing and went about my business. As women often have to do.” Another journalist, Kaitlyn Ross, responded to the tweet saying that she too was denied access to a government facility because her clothing was deemed “too revealing.” “Being a woman is exhausting,” she wrote. “You did a great job under ridiculous circumstances. I’m sorry this happened.” The editor-in-chief of Alabama Media Group, which owns AL.com, described the treatment of Ms. Hrynkiw Shatara as “unacceptable” and “unequal.” “I am proud to work with Ivana, who despite this treatment, continued to report the story professionally to our Alabama audience,” she said. “This was sexist and a gross breach of professional conduct. And it should never happen to any other reporter again.” AL.com sent a complaint to ADOC as well as Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall. The execution of Joe Nathan James by lethal injection was delayed for three hours because of the time it took to set up an IV line. The delay was described as an “extremely unusual and very troubling” time-lapse by the head of the Death Penalty Information Center, a non-profit organization focused on issues surrounding the death penalty. Image: The William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama Image: AP He was executed despite pleas from the victim’s relatives to spare his life. Mrs Hall’s daughters, who were three and six when she died, said they had forgiven James and would rather he serve life behind bars. But Governor Ivey refused to interfere, and Mr. Marshall advised that execution would ensure justice. The execution sends an “unmistakable message that Alabama stands with victims of domestic violence.” Sky News has contacted ADOC for comment.
