Apparently If You Work For The AP, You're Not Allowed To Criticize Newspaper Management

from the keep-quiet,-peon dept

Wed, Jun 10th 2009 2:56am — Mike Masnick

Want yet another example of the Associated Press' out-of-date approach to things (as if there weren't enough already)? The organization apparently officially reprimanded a reporter, Richard Richtmyer, who made an offhand comment on his Facebook page, mildly criticizing the management of McClatchy, a large newspaper chain (and, of course, an AP member). On the whole, the comment (about trouble at McClatchy) was pretty benign:

It seems like the ones who orchestrated the whole mess should be losing their jobs or getting pushed into smaller quarters. But they aren't.

Apparently that was enough to get an official reprimand letter put on file (though, the union is now protesting this). However, it shows the way the AP still views the journalism business, where actually expressing some sort of opinion is somehow seen as an offense. In this case, it wasn't even in his capacity as a reporter, which makes the whole thing even sillier. I'm going to trust someone who is free to tell me their opinion over someone who has to pretend he has no opinion, any day.

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Filed Under: criticism, richard richtmyer, social networks
Companies: associated press, facebook, mcclatchy

14 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2009 @ 5:19am

Bunch of cigar chomping paper pushers think the employees do not have a right to voice their personal opinions ...
film at eleven
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Designerfx (profile), 10 Jun 2009 @ 5:39am

waaait
wasn't there an article where they said "you can't criticize if you don't work for xyz"? I think you covered it about a week back, Mike. Which way do they want it? So apparently we just can't criticize at all?
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2009 @ 5:53am

I'm always afraid of writing anything about work, I'll talk about it, among close friends, with alcohol where memories tend to get murdered... but employers don't have such things as "free speech" written in their books.
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IT Blogger, 10 Jun 2009 @ 6:58am

opinions
It's great to know how much trouble you can get into for your opinion. Especially when it's not even libel.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 10 Jun 2009 @ 7:05am

What am I missing?
"The organization apparently officially reprimanded a reporter, Richard Richtmyer, who made an offhand comment on his Facebook page..."

Ok, the issue of whether an organization ought to be reprimanding employees for what they do/say on social sites aside, was this comment in a Facebook blog in which he is specifically representing himself as an AP reporter? Or was it just some kind of status or info comment? Because if it was, I'm not sure:

"it shows the way the AP still views the journalism business, where actually expressing some sort of opinion is somehow seen as an offense"

makes much sense, at least to me. If it's just a Facebook blurb, what does that have to do with the journalism business? FYI, can't view FB at work, so I might honestly be missing something important here.
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Jim Lillicotch, 10 Jun 2009 @ 7:11am

They're Not The Only Ones
It's not like they're the only ones. The last two places I worked were like that. Management was always right and if not You were the problem.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2009 @ 7:25am

The same thing happened to a DJ at a radio station local to my area. He was off the air for two weeks after a couple of on-air comments about his corporate overlords.
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hexjones, 10 Jun 2009 @ 8:06am

I am so sick of Journalists acting high and mighty as if they have a sacred mandate and are the protectors of the free world as long as they don't express anything.
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dealguru, 10 Jun 2009 @ 8:23am

don't most companies have a 'non-disparagement' clause?
I seem to recall that most companies I've worked for have some professional conduct standards that you sign when you're hired. A search in google for "employee handbook" and disparage led me to this standard clause: Employee shall not "Disparage Employer in any way which could adversely affect the goodwill, reputation or business relationships of Employer with the public generally, or with any of its Customers, suppliers or employees." This one was from the Meridian group.

The point is that public disparagement of your employer, even if they deserve it, could hurt their reputation, goodwill, and adversely affect customer conversions/sales, etc. If you ran a business would you want your employees persuading customers not to buy from you (directly or by reading about it a blog)? There's no doubt that problems should be made visible and fixed, but the trick is to find the right way to do it.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2009 @ 10:40am

Oddly, where I use to work I couldn't call out my bosses in public either without risking my job.

Why is online any different? What planet do you like on Mike?
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2009 @ 12:45pm
  
  Re:
  Do two wrongs make a right?
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  - Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2009 @ 2:15pm
    
    Re: Re:
    No, but two wrights made an airplane.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2009 @ 3:07pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      three rights make a left.
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- Mike Masnick (profile), 10 Jun 2009 @ 3:21pm
  
  Re:
  Oddly, where I use to work I couldn't call out my bosses in public either without risking my job.
  
  (a) It's not his bosses that he's calling out.
  
  (b) As a reporter he should be able to express his views on a particular subject. Otherwise, based on your logic, no reporter could ever criticize another company, as they might be partners/advertisers.
  
  That's not a planet I want to live on.
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