Clarissa Williams, publisher of the State Journal-Register, believes in freedom of speech. Just check out her Facebook page. In the warm glow of the most recent holiday season, for instance, Williams, in what appears to be a cut-and-paste job from some unknown website, announced to the world just how she feels about gay marriage: “I support the Biblical definition of marriage. You might be able to change the laws of America. But you will never change the Laws of God.” She’s posted that three times since July 4.Williams is also a big believer in happiness: “Warning: Your Workplace Can Be Improved By Adding Joy. Yes, I Said Joy,” reads the title of a LinkedIn article she linked to in 2014. Raises might also help – newsroom employees have gone eight years without salary increases and last week unanimously rejected a contract proposal. She has a problem with Comcast: “Xfinity has terrible service. Urggh,” she wrote in 2013, one month before being named publisher of Springfield’s daily paper. Shortly before that, she weighed in via another cut-and-paste job on Hobby Lobby’s court fight to exclude contraceptives from health care plans for female employees: “A Federal Judge Has Ruled That Obamacare Regulations That Violate Americans’ First Amendment Rights Cannot Stand. Share This If You Are Glad This Judge is Taking A Stand For Freedom.” The words, which refer to a court ruling that the company could exclude family planning benefits from health coverage, are superimposed over a photo of a Hobby Lobby store. Confidential to Clarissa: Privacy settings – look into them.
This article appears in Feb 4-10, 2016.
