Reporter Working the Lindsay Clancy Trial Let Go for Unprofessional Behavior, and it Gets Weirder from There

Brittany Romano posing with Defense lawyer at Lindsay Clancy trial

As the trial for Lindsay Clancy is close to wrapping up, an odd side drama has developed involving one journalist. Brittany Romano, who was working the trial for Vanity Fair, has seen her credentials pulled after a deeply odd decision to start mugging for the courtroom camera during the serious proceedings.

Seen on the live feed on Court TV during one portion of the trial, the camera switched to begin panning the press gallery, and Romano is standing with others. While most had a solemn or neutral expression, Romano had a big smile and was clearly preening for the camera. She even winked at one point.

Caught outside the courthouse on Monday, Romano explained that she posed for the camera at the behest of her father. He was home watching the proceedings and had expressed his daughter did not look happy anytime she appeared on screen. Apparently, he was expecting some measure of ebullience while she is attending the trial surrounding the murder of three children?

Then it gets more obtuse.

During her explanation, Romano let it be known that she had actually grown up with the woman being charged, Lindsay Clancy. While this raises questions about objectivity, in truth she had been retained by Vanity Fair because of this connection to the defendant. The publication has decided to cut ties with Romano after her display.

“We were interested in the prospect of a personal essay by Brittany Romano about her experience growing up with Lindsay Clancy,” Vanity Fair said in a statement. “Yesterday, after clear conflicts with our editorial standards and processes, we informed Romano that we were not moving forward with her essay and informed the court that she is no longer credentialed by Vanity Fair.”

Adding to the inappropriate nature of things, Romano also was seen in the halls of the court getting comfortable with her former friend’s legal team. It might be more than fair to ask if there is a question of objectivity when a reporter is taking gleeful selfies with the defense lawyer. (Pictured above.)

Brittany, a former Teen Vogue reporter who also contributes to Elle Magazine and Cosmopolitan, was not seen in attendance at the trial on Tuesday. Despite this severing of a professional relationship, the journalist appears to have no remorse over her behavior.

After facing her share of backlash on social media, she posted on Instagram: “All for smiling at a camera?! Love it! Tysm for boosting my analytics Xoxoxoxo.”

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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