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US journalist Ivana Shatara was recently restricted from entering the Alabama execution of Joe Nathan James Jr. by lethal injection, as prison officials deemed her outfit to be “inappropriate” and “too revealing.”
The reporter took to Twitter to share her story and mentioned that she had worn the same skirt to prior executions but never faced a problem. She wrote:
“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 told The New York Post that she was wearing a black A-line skirt from Philosophy, which was 1.5 inches above her knee. The journalist also mentioned that she attempted to pull the clothing down as she has “long legs” but was still not allowed to enter the venue:
“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.”
When Shatara failed to join other journalists, she borrowed rain pants from a male photographer and held it up with suspenders underneath her skirt to gain entry to complete her assignment.
Unfortunately, she was stopped once again after authorities said that her open-toed heel shoes were also inappropriate for the event:
“I was told my shoes were also too revealing… and needed to change shoes.”
Ivana Shatara ultimately attended the execution and covered the story after changing her heels with tennis shoes from her car. However, she said that she was left highly disappointed with the “unfair treatment.”
Ivana Shatara calls out officials for restricted entry to Alabama execution
Shortly after the Alabama execution of Joe Nathan James Jr., journalist Ivana Shatara called out representatives of the Alabama Department of Corrections for initially restricting her entry to the venue over “inappropriate” clothing.
She said that the situation was uncomfortable and she was made to feel embarrassed about her clothing and body:
“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. I sat down, tried to stop blushing and did my work.”
Shatara also told The New York Post that authorities should pre-inform journalists about the dress codes prior to the event:
“Going forward, if there is a dress code that is going to be enforced, members of the media need to be made aware before the day of the executions.”
She further added:
“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.”
Shatara even shared that the media house she works for is planning to send a formal complaint to the Alabama Department of Corrections related to the situation. Meanwhile, the latter is yet to address the situation in public.
Everything to know about Ivana Shatara
Ivana Shatara is a journalist and video news producer based in Alabama. She currently works as a reporter for the Alabama Media Group and recently made news after being restricted from entering prison to cover the execution of convicted killer Joe Nathan James Jr.
The journalist has since received massive support on social media for speaking up against the “unfair” treatment she faced at the prison over her dressing choice.
According to her LinkedIn bio, Shatara has also worked for Advanced Local company AL for over seven years and spent the majority of her career covering breaking news and stories on politics and criminal justice.
Shatara is reportedly passionate about storytelling and believes in publishing the truth “in a time of rampant misinformation.” She is experienced in multimedia reporting, including traditional print and digital journalism, video coverage, and creative social media coverage.
In her free time, the reporter loves to focus on fitness, spend time with animals, and appreciate “the small things in life.”
