Aaron Calvin Speaks

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Doc

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Aug 6, 2006
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This really shouldn't be a political issue. The Register and Calvin both screwed up. Reporting on tweets from grade school crossed a line, especially when more recent tweets were a 180 (strongly against racism). Without the public rallying to his side the Carson King story would have ended on a negative note thanks to DMR. It was ironic that he had a bunch of controversial tweets himself. Obviously threats or wishing physical harm are very wrong, but it doesn't't mean I have to think positively of him.

Calvin said it’s standard practice for them to review social media for stories like this, and the question of whether to include it went to the editorial board, so I don’t see how hardly any of this is on him. Assuming he’s telling the truth about the social media stuff.

I would think most papers would check the social media of unfamiliar people when doing a profile on them, just to make sure they don’t write a glowing profile of a somebody who looks like Hitler reincarnate on twitter. They don’t want to be embarrassed by missing this stuff.
 
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Trice

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Calvin said it’s standard practice for them to review social media for stories like this, and the question of whether to include it went to the editorial board, so I don’t see how hardly any of this is on him. Assuming he’s telling the truth about the social media stuff.

I would think most papers would check the social media of people when doing a profile on them, just to make sure they don’t write a glowing profile of a somebody who looks like Hitler reincarnate on twitter. They don’t want to be embarrassed by missing this stuff.

Yeah, this is pretty obvious but people cite the background check as evidence the Register did it expressly to find dirt on him so they could take him down. It's bonkers.
 

alarson

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Calvin said it’s standard practice for them to review social media for stories like this, and the question of whether to include it went to the editorial board, so I don’t see how hardly any of this is on him. Assuming he’s telling the truth about the social media stuff.

I would think most papers would check the social media of people when doing a profile on them, just to make sure they don’t write a glowing profile of a somebody who looks like Hitler reincarnate on twitter. They don’t want to be embarrassed by missing this stuff.

And while it absolutely can be fair to say 'should we include things a 16 year old said in the profile' (which is up to the editors), obviously there are some things that are fair game, right?

Like obviously if someone found an old video of him killing kittens or something, it wouldnt matter what age he was to most people, it'd be horrific all the same. In which case there is still some value in doing due diligence and doing the background search, and then deciding from there whether to include what is found.
 

Rods79

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Nov 27, 2006
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The tweets should never have been material to the story about a private citizen doing good, that is where this went wrong. That is on the Senior Editor...period.

The details of how this spiraled out of control are irrelevant. I would have felt a little bad for Calvin if not for his own terrible tweets. But again, that is partly on the Senior Editor for not keeping a respectable and professional staff, and for having horribly antiquated hiring practices.

The Register did not offer anything near an apology. Frankly, more words from them are not needed, and if anything they provided additional proof of how terrible the Senior Editor is at being a journalist and running a newspaper.

Get rid of Carol Hunter...or expect more of the same.
 

alarson

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Just don’t tweet racist ****. It doesn’t seem that hard. I knew that was wrong when I was 10.

Or, you know, do a periodic run through of your past social media postings and remove **** that might cause you issues.
 

bos

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Anyone paying attention has seen that its had those overtones from the start. I mean tucker carlson picked it up.


Who the **** didn’t pick it up? Tucker is just one of many in the media who did. Including left wing media. You’re pushing for something that isn’t there. No matter the slant, everyone was outraged in a united front that he was targeted after doing a good deed.
 

Angie

Tugboats and arson.
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The Register ran over him with a bus

Yes. Absolutely right wing if you followed any of the outrage that developed on this. A lot of people who were angry about past incidents when adults got called out for their own racist or otherwise ****** behavior suddenly decided to take up this as their cause when the real problem with this one was that it got into things that he posted as a minor.

This guy followed the process he was supposed to from his employer, and got thrown under the bus.

I totally agree with these. The Register told him to vet Carson. He did his job. It's ****** that the Register first said, "Well, I mean, we were just being responsible," and then fired him for doing what they told him to because there was a media backlash.

Nobody is defending the crap he tweeted in the past, or taking a job where he had to muckrake kids doing charitable things. But the Register decided he was a worthwhile scapegoat. He's placing the blame on politicians, when it is the Register across the board.
 

FinalFourCy

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Except its not like the article made those tweets a centerpiece. It merely mentioned the tweets. Ironically it was people like you who got all outraged about it that made it a bigger deal than it had to be. Otherwise it would have been a one-paragraph footnote -with mitigating information showing that isnt who he is today- in an otherwise extremely positive profile.

The reporter never 'tried to ruin his life' as many morons have claimed, or tried to get him fired or anything like that, so its not like there's some hypocrisy there. .
You’re really reaching making this a right wing response. That’s the hysteria that fuels the call-out culture though, so very fitting you and Calvin went with it.

I’m not outraged at anything, but rather have been reminded just how awful the DMR is. They tried to pathetically profit off call-out culture with a petty inclusion of an old benign tweet, and botched it so badly that they got burnt by it. In a human interest piece, it’s best to know your audience.

What Calvin tried to do (or not do) to Carson isn’t particularly relevant to Calvin’s job status. Unlike Carson, Calvin’s tweets are far more relevant to his occupation and thus firing isn’t out of line. He messed up an easy story as well. Don’t think of it as retribution, just more of a red flag that you’re not fit for the job.
 
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alarson

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You’re really reaching making this a right wing response. That’s the hysteria that fuels the call-out culture though, so very fitting you and Calvin went with it.

I’m not outraged at anything, but rather have been reminded just how awful the DMR is. They tried to pathetically profit off call-out culture with a petty inclusion of an old benign tweet, and botched it so badly that they got burnt by it. In a human interest piece, it’s best to know your audience.

Unlike Carson, Calvin’s tweets are far more relevant to his occupation and thus firing isn’t out of line. He messed up an easy story. Don’t think of it as retribution, just more of a red flag that you’re not fit for the job. What the reporter tried to do or not do to Carson isn’t particularly relevant.

Ah yes, "call out culture", the buzzword so popular in the right wing that, like "pc culture" before it, basically boils down to "HOW DARE YOU CRITICIZE ME FOR SAYING SOMETHING TERRIBLE"

Thank you for proving my point.
 

Angie

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Ah yes, "call out culture", the buzzword so popular in the right wing that, like "pc culture" before it, basically boils down to "HOW DARE YOU CRITICIZE ME FOR SAYING SOMETHING TERRIBLE"

Thank you for proving my point.

I don't quite understand everyone saying, "Oh, he was only 16 when he said those ****** things on Twitter." Yes, but it's still not okay to say ****** stuff when you are 16. Why can't everyone just look at Carson's own tweets, where he basically said, "Yo, I was wrong to post that crap, I'm ashamed of it and glad that the Register showed it to me, and I'm working on being a better person." Why can't everyone just say, "Wow, look at how far that kid has come?" Isn't that the better point than sweeping it under the rug? It's crappy that it came out, that the Register decided to try and "scoop" a feel-good story of someone helping. But since it is out there, can't we try and make it something better for the current 16-year-olds out there to see?
 

bos

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Ah yes, "call out culture", the buzzword so popular in the right wing that, like "pc culture" before it, basically boils down to "HOW DARE YOU CRITICIZE ME FOR SAYING SOMETHING TERRIBLE"

Thank you for proving my point.

We get it, you hate the right. There’s a whole politics forum on CF for you to play in. This thread has gone off the rails.
 

alarson

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I don't quite understand everyone saying, "Oh, he was only 16 when he said those ****** things on Twitter." Yes, but it's still not okay to say ****** stuff when you are 16. Why can't everyone just look at Carson's own tweets, where he basically said, "Yo, I was wrong to post that crap, I'm ashamed of it and glad that the Register showed it to me, and I'm working on being a better person." Why can't everyone just say, "Wow, look at how far that kid has come?" Isn't that the better point than sweeping it under the rug? It's crappy that it came out, that the Register decided to try and "scoop" a feel-good story of someone helping. But since it is out there, can't we try and make it something better for the current 16-year-olds out there to see?

Yep, and as i mentioned earlier, certainly we'd all agree there are some things that no one would be able to look past, even if one was 16, even with apologies.
 
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