sa_butta
03-07-2007, 07:23 PM
A US photographer has been fired for urinating in a cemetery while covering the funeral of a soldier killed in Iraq.
Gerry Edwards, of Center Point, Iowa, was sacked by KGAN-TV, , reports the Des Moines Register.
He was covering the funeral of Sgt James Musack, 23, of Riverside, Iowa, when he urinated in the cemetery while waiting for the procession to arrive.
A journalist from a Kalona newspaper was nearby and photographed the incident. The editor sent the photo by e-mail to KGAN managers.
The editor wrote in the email: "Urinating behind a statue of Mary in a Catholic cemetery within clear view of... numerous members of the Army who were on hand for the funeral, is inexcusable."
Within hours, KGAN officials escorted Edwards out of their building and gave him the choice of either resigning or being fired. When he refused to resign, he was fired.
At a recent hearing for unemployment benefits, he testified he was unable to leave the cemetery to urinate for fear of missing the funeral procession.
"I feel like I did nothing wrong except take care of business," Edwards said.
"If I went in my pants, that would be really unprofessional. If anybody saw me, you know, walking around - it would have froze. So I'd have icy urine on my pants."
He blamed KGAN managers for insisting that he get a shot of the funeral procession.
KGAN Station Manager Mike Sullivan declined to comment.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2230911.html?menu=
Gerry Edwards, of Center Point, Iowa, was sacked by KGAN-TV, , reports the Des Moines Register.
He was covering the funeral of Sgt James Musack, 23, of Riverside, Iowa, when he urinated in the cemetery while waiting for the procession to arrive.
A journalist from a Kalona newspaper was nearby and photographed the incident. The editor sent the photo by e-mail to KGAN managers.
The editor wrote in the email: "Urinating behind a statue of Mary in a Catholic cemetery within clear view of... numerous members of the Army who were on hand for the funeral, is inexcusable."
Within hours, KGAN officials escorted Edwards out of their building and gave him the choice of either resigning or being fired. When he refused to resign, he was fired.
At a recent hearing for unemployment benefits, he testified he was unable to leave the cemetery to urinate for fear of missing the funeral procession.
"I feel like I did nothing wrong except take care of business," Edwards said.
"If I went in my pants, that would be really unprofessional. If anybody saw me, you know, walking around - it would have froze. So I'd have icy urine on my pants."
He blamed KGAN managers for insisting that he get a shot of the funeral procession.
KGAN Station Manager Mike Sullivan declined to comment.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2230911.html?menu=