Are you saying that people can hold personal opinions that don't have any bearings on the other aspects of their life? For example religion or politics?
KCCI Reporter
- Thread starter CyTwins
- Start date
Generally when you use a twitter, facebook or other social media account - or even email address - that includes your employer, views you take on that account are considered part of your work position on the subject and reflect on your employer and your job.
As many have said before this would be pretty much a non-issue if he had done this on a private account rather than on one that identifies him as a KCCI reporter.
And putting a non-sense disclaimer that they aren't the views of your employer rarely does anything for the public's perception of this being Joe Blow, XYZ reporter rather than Joe Blow, private citizen.
I doubt he was starved for attention as much as he didn't realize - being from eastern Iowa and going to the University of Iowa - that openly hoping for Iowa State to get destroyed would receive any backlash. I'm sure his bosses aren't thrilled.
But when you use your Employers name and/or business Twitter, You and your employer can take the heat for you. Because at that point no matter what say, you are representing your employer. Many employees have been fired simply for social media posts, not even posting on a professional social media or representing themselves and their company in a professional manner. But just for having the employed at information filled out on a social media page.
One of former companies, said anything you post on any social media personal or not, can be considered conduct by an employee, even if they do not list themselves as an employee of the company.
Freedom of speech is one thing, but freedom of employment is another.
Freedom of speech says the "government" can not infringe on your rights, it says nothing about your employer (unless you work for said government). And beyond that, freedom of speech does not mean they have to employ you, they can say you are free to say anything you want, but if you say that you will not work here.
He is a media person. His job partially is public relations. No matter what his Twitter says he does represent the company. Any heat he takes can and should directly affect him and the company he represents. Media is supposed to be unbiased, regardless of the source. I agree he can and should cheer for whatever team he wants, but posting that kind of derogatory posts on a business social account is stupid, and probably should happen on a private social media if at all when you are a public figure, no matter how small time, especially when it directly targets 50% or more of your audience.
Our media top to bottom is awful and its time people start holding them accountable.
I'm guessing we won't see many non-work-related tweets from him in the future. Yes, it does reflect poorly on his decision making and KCCI, but he wasn't reporting on the Iowa State Cyclones. It was obvious he was speaking as a fan. This isn't a matter of journalistic integrity. Journalists can have personal opinions. It just can't interfere with their work as a reporter.
If KCCI wants to fire him for PR reasons, they are 100% free to do so. But he didn't do anything wrong from a journalistic standards standpoint. He is not a "media person". He is a news reporter. His job is definitely not public relations. Lumping them all into the same category is lazy and just shows your lack of media literacy. That's the bigger issue in this country.
My point is he's dumb, and his posts were ill-advised. They aren't journalistic malpractice. Not even close.
Fair enough. I see now you were talking about journalistic integrity and I would have to agree with you there. I should have read the thread closer. The perception of using an account like that for personal use is where he got himself in trouble and that is indeed a separate issue.
I never said he did anything wrong from a "journalistic standards standpoint"
You want to tell me the difference between a media person and a news reporter?
I never said he did anything close to journalistic malpractice, I did say however he was representing his company, and yes as a reporter, that goes around talking to people daily and providing reports he is very much in the public relations of the company.
My point is when you post on a business related Twitter, you better realize what you post, and how it is going to be taken or you better not post it. And if you post on a non business related social, you better still make sure it is not going to come back to bite you, because today, people go back years to dig up dirt on people to destroy them. And employers look at that stuff too.
I said he represents the company by what he says and does and that company can and should take heat just as he should for what he does and says.
The fact that people think they can say and do whatever they want, and never have any blow back is the problem. The fact that the media is so far gone that no one even listens to them anymore is the problem. The lack of integrity is the problem, my "literacy" is not the problem. Nit picking definitions of what you want to call people might be as well.
You just described the job description of the father - me- with students at both universities! Divide household? Not on your life. My undergrad and grad work were both at ISU.
Not this covid year without fans, but not retiring Fizer's # is really a bad look on our athletic program.
I've been thinking about it more and more as this is perhaps "the greatest" football season.
That was definitely "The Greatest" basketball season and Fizer could have left the year before as a mid to late first round pick after his sophomore year. The guy is a top 3 most dominant player in program history and the most dominant player on that greatest single ISU basketball team.
To see him still actively following ISU and knowing all this...what is the hold up to get that jersey in the rafters?
A lack of offensive production doesn't necessarily mean the defense you are playing against is good.
Zipper treatment from Something about Mary?Tar and feather?
His boss most likely only partially agrees. Their chat narrative probably went-- "As journalist you can have personal opinions. When representing KCCI, keep the stupid ones to yourself."
Boycotting something because someone said something bad about your favorite sports team may be the dumbest "protest" of all time.
The guy was a moron for saying it, he got the backlash, time to move on (my opinion of course).
The guy was a moron for saying it, he got the backlash, time to move on (my opinion of course).
I believe Blakemore did some work at WHO. Hard hawk fan but respectful and fair to all teams during her time up north.
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