by Chi Ibe

Jonathan Rovetto, assistant station engineer of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), was sacked recently following controversial comments he posted on his Facebook wall, which criticized the ministry’s leadership.

 The Facebook comment drew the ire of founders, Jan and Paul Crouch, resulting in Mr. Rovetto’s dismissal.

 Here is Rovetto’s post:

“TBN, why should you care? Many people really dislike TBN and don’t watch. Over the years people have been turned off by Jan’s pink hair, screaming preachers during Praise-A-Thon, and the heavy concentration of ‘Prosperity Teachers’ that fill the TBN schedule.”

The Facebook post surrounded issues about a legal battle between leaders, Jan and Paul Crouch and their granddaughter, Brittany Crouch Koper, concerning the misuse of ministry funds.  Rovetto suspected he’d be fired by posting his thoughts on Facebook, but decided he had a right to air his opinion.

Thus, his circumstance has now raisedserious legal issues and questions are being raised. For instance, do employers have the right to censor what their employees post on Facebook?Is this an encroachment of the right to free speech?

In has now been revealed that some employers demand Facebook passwords and usernames from their employees to be able to read their posts and some employers are going the distance and even asking employees to remove certain posts off their Facebook pages which employers deem “derogatory.” 

Rovetto who had been following the developing legal case involving the Crouchs online, became upset at each revelation and decided to post his annoyance on Facebook.

Then he asked people to pray for Brittany Crouch Koper.