Podcast: How the tragic fall and suicide of a pastor-politico became national clickbait
I get waves of emails and in that flood I always look forward to hearing from former Getreligionistas.
Obviously, no one knows more about news stories that I need to see than journalists who have spent time writing for this weblog. Since we’re nearing our 20th birthday, that’s an interesting, deep list of former contributors who get what we do and why we do it.
A few days ago, Mark Kellner — currently covering religion news for The Washington Times — sent a note asking my reactions to the tragic suicide of the Rev. F.L. “Bubba” Copeland in Alabama. Kellner was reacting to one of those long tabloid headlines that are common in the online edition of The Daily Mail:
Inside the secret life of Bubba Copeland: How Alabama mayor and pastor adopted a second persona online — becoming a transitioning curvy girl called Brittini — before killing himself
There’s a lot of news happening right now and, to be honest, I had not clicked into the stream of stories about Copeland’s life and death. However, when I did I immediately saw an issue that I thought would interest listeners for this week’s “Crossroads” podcast (CLICK HERE to tune that in).
Kellner said I could share his concerns here, focusing on the first report from a conservative Alabama news and commentary website:
Given that Mr. Copeland had not been charged with any crime, should "1819news.com" have "outed" him? Yes, his behavior was odd, to say the least, for a pastor and a local politician. But having strange fantasies and even posting them online isn't necessarily criminal. It might merit his removal from the pulpit and perhaps his defeat at the next mayoral election, but apparently, this online report — and the subsequent media storm — pushed a rather fragile soul over the edge.
In short: Does the media exist to crucify people without real cause? If someone is a child molester or otherwise acts inappropriately or illegally, that's one thing. But there should be a line somewhere, right?
Here is the key, for me. This started out as a rather sensationalistic (to say the least) story about a man who was clearly a public figure in Alabama (yes, a photo of Copeland with President Donald Trump pushed buttons). At the same time, Copeland was also the pastor of a Southern Baptist congregation, a flock of believers that has been quite outspoken on matters of sexual morality.
For better and for worse, journalists have all kinds of freedom when covering politicians and other public figures. That first 1819news story did include quotes from an interview with Copeland, so he was offered a chance to speak on the record before publication.
What this story did not include was any hint of activities that raised legal, as opposed to moral, issues. Copeland told the local reporter:
“Just my wife knows about it,” Copeland said. “It’s a hobby I do to relieve stress. I have a lot of stress, and I’m not medically transitioning. It’s just a bit of a character I’m playing. … I don’t go out and seek solicitation or anything like that.” He continued, “It’s something that I don’t intermingle with the other. It’s private. I don’t do it in the public or anything like that. … It’s just a fictional character I made up to relieve stress.”
Copeland also declined to offer any explanation to the citizens of Smiths Station or his church parishioners about his so-called hobby. He said he believed his activity was “not relevant” and only relegated to the privacy of his home. He repeatedly referred to his activity as akin to “dress-up” and “cosplay.”
“It’s just a hobby that I have inside my own home that has not traveled outside of my home,” Copeland said. “I have not done anything outside of my own home besides post or publish anything on the internet, and that does not affect anything with inside my jurisdiction.”
He continued, “What I do in private life has nothing to do with what I do in my holy life,” Copeland continued. “Does this have any effect on me being mayor, that I sometimes put on a dress or sometimes put on makeup? Does that have anything to do whatsoever with me being mayor or being a pastor?”
Worthy of publication at that point? Journalists can, and should, debate that kind of question.
The problem is that, once this story broke, journalists began paying closer attention to some of Copeland’s online life — including the contents of his trans fantasy fiction. As that Daily Mail story noted:
The narrator discussed the steps one takes to 'transition' and completely change his body to match the one of a real-life local woman living in his town.
It also explained how he carefully began to insert himself as the unidentified lady into her friend group and goes into graphic detail on how he seduces her husband.
The end of the story then expresses the narrator's plan to kill the woman, and permanently take her place in society.
Also, journalists — and police officials — began hearing from specific women who made accusations (on television, no less) that Copeland’s online activities were hitting too close to home.
To be specific, they claimed that Copeland used information that could identify them and also posted pictures of them and other locals. Here is some summary material from another 1819news report:
Ansley Summerlin, who alleged Copeland used her identity, told WTVM her name and likeness appeared on multiple porn sites.
"I had some people start sending me photos that were posted of me on multiple porn sites, I guess you could say that also had pictures of 'Brittini,' as well," she said. "And he proceeded to use my first and middle names on these sites. And I believe there are about nine sites now that have five or six photos of my face and my name across the net."
The second alleged victim, identified as a "local hairstylist in Smiths Station," also discussed her likeness being used in Copeland's writings.
"It said my first and last name," she said. "And it was basically describing the way that I look and intensified, I guess, as a porn star. And it went into very graphic detail. I didn't get past the first page because I honestly couldn't stomach it."
At this point, we have accusations of public misconduct against a public official. That’s a local news story.
In the podcast, I also mentioned that Copeland is a Southern Baptist pastor — a national flock that is the middle of high-profile debates about how to handle sexual abuse by clergy and congregational leaders. It’s safe to say that online sexual fiction (porn is a loaded and legal word) about real people, with photos that identify them, would be abusive behavior.
Copeland’s apparently low-key reactions to the first news reports — including some public remarks to his congregation in a Wednesday night service — took a turn for the worse as the coverage dug into some of these specifics. The New York Post reported:
An Alabama preacher and politician who killed himself days after being outed for having a secret life online as a “transgender curvy girl” had told a friend just days earlier that he was experiencing some “dark days.”
F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, 62, who was the mayor of tiny Smiths Station, confided in the friend after a news outlet published a story that featured photos of Copeland’s “alter ego” Brittini Blaire Summerlin in a bra and feminine clothing.
“After watching for a day or two [of] people just relentlessly attacking Bubba, I was quite bothered by it, and I just decided to reach out to him,” former Phenix City School Superintendent Larry D. Chiara told NBC News.
“It was the day before he passed away. I said, ‘Bubba, keep your head up, you’re a good man with a great heart. Don’t ever forget that. Call me if you need me,’” Chiara recounted.
“His response was: ‘Thank you. It’s been some dark days.’ And I said, ‘I’m sure, just hang in there it will pass.’”
Then the stories appeared with the accusations of “violent fantasy fiction and posted photos of people from the community to his Reddit page without their consent.” Copeland contacted a friend in the local police department — Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones.
This started the final act in this tragedy. More from the Post:
“It was a friend calling a friend,” he explained. “Let’s just say he was concerned about the article. I think ‘upset’ would be a good way of putting it.”
Authorities then conducted a welfare check on the mayor. Two deputies first went to Copeland’s to find him, and then to a local market he frequented, before ultimately spotting the mayor driving on a county road, officials said.
The deputies then turned on their emergency lights and tried to get Copeland to pull over. When he ultimately did, Copeland got out of the vehicle and shot himself.
“We had no idea Copeland would die on the spot,” Jones said. “There were obvious concerns for his welfare, and deputies were attempting to get him to stop, make contact with him assess the situation, and then take action based on that assessment.”
He added that he does not know what the deputies could have done differently. “It’s just tragic all the way around.”
After the suicide, there was this:
Church member Dan Elkins also said he has been removing hateful comments on Copeland’s Facebook page following his death.
“He was far from perfect — but he was my pastor, my friend, and my brother,” Elkins told NBC. “And in the midst of my anger about this whole situation, tonight my heart is just absolutely broken.
“By no means am I disregarding/discounting accountability,” he added, “but it must be dispensed with love and care, not scorn and judgment.”
Finally, I raised another journalism issue during the podcast: What turned this complex, but valid, local story, in a national news story worthy of clickbait headlines of various kinds?
For starters, what makes this a National Public Radio story? Well, there is this media-ethics angle in that NPR report:
Gary Hicks, a communications professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, has studied the history and consequences of outings, or when the media exposes a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or other private details of their personal life without the person's permission.
The act of wearing clothes associated with another gender is not synonymous with being gay, lesbian or transgender. But like with many practices that challenge typical gender norms, outing a person's interest in cross-dressing without their consent can be extremely harmful, Hicks said.
"I cannot find a good reason to out a person in a story," he said. "You do not know what the ramifications are going to be."
Hicks pointed out that some news organizations have justified outing elected officials if they actively denounce or vote against gay rights. NPR was not able to find any evidence that Copeland held such views.
Meanwhile, at the local level, the regional Al.com website — The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times, etc. — offered a much more subdued set of headlines:
* F.L. ‘Bubba’ Copeland, Alabama mayor and pastor, kills himself
* After Mayor Bubba Copeland’s death, community gathers to pray: ‘Smiths Station is hurting’
* Bubba Copeland’s suicide shows dangers of outing and ‘unrelenting anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric’
In terms of questions about journalism ethics, the timeline for this story is quite complex.
I am left with one question, echoing some of Kellner’s initial concerns: Would Copeland’s online behavior that raised legal questions — such as claims that he used photos of women and information about their identities — have surfaced without the initial, highly personal 1819news report?
But that information did surface and their is no question that journalists can ask hard legal questions about the behavior of public officials. What about Southern Baptist pastors? That’s another question.
What about the national-news coverage? I think it is safe to say that the following terms played some role in that equation, with mainstream newsrooms as well as those many critics would label as “tabloid” operations: “trans,” “Southern Baptist,” “mayor” and “Trump.” That’s the age in which we live.
Under normal circumstances, I end these podcast posts by saying, “Enjoy the podcast.”
I don’t know if that works this time. But please read this carefully and pass it along to others. You also can sign up for “Crossroads” with Apple podcasts.
FIRST IMAGE: Screenshot from a YouTube posted by the East Alabama Chamber of Commerce — featured with a feature at The Advocate: “Alabama Mayor, Pastor Dies by Suicide After Being Involuntarily Outed as Transgender Woman.”