Duquesne University Disinvites Geraldo Rivera From JFK Event Over Nearly Nude 'Selfie'
A Catholic academic institute based in Pennsylvania has decided to disinvite Geraldo Rivera after the mustachioed reporter posted a "selfie" on Twitter.
Duquesne University made the decision late last week after Rivera posted a "selfie," or a mostly nude photo of himself, on the social media site.
Bridget Fare, spokesperson for Duquesne, told The Christian Post that initially Rivera had been invited to the campus to be part of an event focused on the assassination of John F. Kennedy. "The conference is 'Passing the Torch: An International Symposium on the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy'," said Fare.
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"Rivera was going to moderate one panel, which focused on the media's handling of the assassination. There are many renowned experts on the topic participating."
Scheduled to take place October 17-19, the "Passing the Torch" symposium is sponsored by Duquesne's Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law.
Fare also told CP that Rivera's removal from the event came due to the "selfie," which was declared "inappropriate" by Duquesne leadership.
"The administration felt that Mr. Rivera's decision to post a nearly naked picture of himself on social media was inappropriate and inconsistent with who we are as a Catholic Spiritan university," said Fare.
"We warn our students not to post questionable material on social media due to the possibility of negative consequences – you could consider this teaching by example."
Back in July, the Fox News contributor decided to post a mostly nude photo of himself on Twitter showcasing his physique.
The photo of the 70-year-old journalist created much buzz online, but it also led Duquesne to cancel his invitation to their symposium.
In a statement, Rivera denounced both the decision and the process through which he found out that his invitation had been removed.
"Are all prospective speakers similarly scrutinized, or is my sin receiving special attention? Does the 'selfie' over-weigh my Peabody, Emmys, RFK's and other professional achievements on Duquesne's scale of morality?" said Rivera.
"Further, the process of cancellation was incredibly rude. I was informed last week by a stranger, who introduced himself to me at a hotel bar, only to then tell me that he was on the JFK panel but that it was too bad my appearance had been cancelled because of the offending tweet."
Rivera has since taken to Twitter to lament the decision, declaring the Duquesne decision to be "pretentious censorship" and asking if he is "banned for life."
Some have come to the defense of the decision on the social media, according to the staff of the website Twitchy.
"@GeraldoRivera Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences. Ask Paula Deen, Hank Williams Jr. #QuitCrying #70YearOldNudeSelfie," tweeted Corey Matelli in response.
