"Even if you are off the clock, something you share in 140 characters or less can come back to haunt you."
Fired for Tweeting? It Can Happen
Jobseekers should remember that your "first impression" may very well be your website, your Facebook page, your LinkedIn account or your Twitter feed.
Recently, the Mediabistro website published a two-part article, 8 Journalists Who Were Fired for Tweeting, describing controversies behind reporters fired or censured for their tweets.
The journalists reportedly tweeted comments that were politically charged, provocative, off-color, or just plain inappropriate, according to their employers. They were writers, broadcast commentators or radio personalities, and not all of the tweets in question were sent from their media outlets' official accounts.
Here are some of the examples: A print journalist in Tucson was fired for tweeting negative comments about his paper, another paper, and his city. An Australian radio announcer was fired for calling a conservative lobbyist a “turd,” while a conservative sports reporter lost his job for tweeting a message criticizing gay marriage. An Arizona radio announcer was let go after tweeting privately that she’d rather cover the Gators than the Arkansas Razorbacks (she also added fuel to the fire by wearing a Gators cap to an Arizona Razorbacks press conference).
“Even if you are off the clock, something you share in 140 characters or less can come back to haunt you,” commented Elana Zak, who wrote the Mediabistro story.
Journalists typically have to walk a fine line when it comes to expressing blatant opinions. Social media muddies this policy. On the one hand, media outlets want their well-known personalities to show – personality. On the other hand, most journalists are also supposed to maintain neutrality when it comes to controversial topics.
But it’s not just media types who need concern themselves with their online image.
Anyone seeking a job, holding any sort of influential job, or working for an image-conscious employer should take note.
Jobseekers should remember that first impressions are no longer limited to the first time an employer lays eyes on you. Your “first impression” may very well be your website, your Facebook page, your LinkedIn account or your Twitter feed.
“When a potential employer or a potential client comes in contact with you, one of the things that they’re probably going to do is go to Google and search your name,” pointed out IMBS Department Chair and Course Director Robert Croll. ‘The more control that you have over what they see, the better off you are.”
Even once you have a job, many employers see their employees as ambassadors of their reputation.
If your online presence is easily traced to your professional presence (and in many cases, it is), your should probably avoid doing or saying things online that are distinctly at odds with your employer’s values and image, particularly if you are saying something related to your employer.
If you’re in doubt about your company’s policies, ask your supervisor if the company has a policy relating to social media sites. This will make you look proactive and responsible and also help you make better decisions when it comes to your personal online activities.
In a blog called Search Engine Watch, marketing strategist Liana Evans writes, “Companies have to start thinking about setting policies in place about how their employees reference their employers on social media sites. Especially if they are negative, they must clearly spell out what the repercussions are,” said Evans.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have privacy or freedom of speech, but it does mean that should be smart about your activities online.
“The Internet gives us an opportunity to share a lot more with a lot more people, so we have to be more concerned about what our reputation is like, especially online,” said Croll. “A lot of people don’t think about the ramifications of that.”
From these tales of fired journalists, it’s useful to remember that the importance of maintaining your online reputation doesn’t end once you land a job.
- Christine Janesko
The journalists reportedly tweeted comments that were politically charged, provocative, off-color, or just plain inappropriate, according to their employers. They were writers, broadcast commentators or radio personalities, and not all of the tweets in question were sent from their media outlets' official accounts.
Here are some of the examples: A print journalist in Tucson was fired for tweeting negative comments about his paper, another paper, and his city. An Australian radio announcer was fired for calling a conservative lobbyist a “turd,” while a conservative sports reporter lost his job for tweeting a message criticizing gay marriage. An Arizona radio announcer was let go after tweeting privately that she’d rather cover the Gators than the Arkansas Razorbacks (she also added fuel to the fire by wearing a Gators cap to an Arizona Razorbacks press conference).
“Even if you are off the clock, something you share in 140 characters or less can come back to haunt you,” commented Elana Zak, who wrote the Mediabistro story.
Journalists typically have to walk a fine line when it comes to expressing blatant opinions. Social media muddies this policy. On the one hand, media outlets want their well-known personalities to show – personality. On the other hand, most journalists are also supposed to maintain neutrality when it comes to controversial topics.
But it’s not just media types who need concern themselves with their online image.
Anyone seeking a job, holding any sort of influential job, or working for an image-conscious employer should take note.
Jobseekers should remember that first impressions are no longer limited to the first time an employer lays eyes on you. Your “first impression” may very well be your website, your Facebook page, your LinkedIn account or your Twitter feed.
“When a potential employer or a potential client comes in contact with you, one of the things that they’re probably going to do is go to Google and search your name,” pointed out IMBS Department Chair and Course Director Robert Croll. ‘The more control that you have over what they see, the better off you are.”
Even once you have a job, many employers see their employees as ambassadors of their reputation.
If your online presence is easily traced to your professional presence (and in many cases, it is), your should probably avoid doing or saying things online that are distinctly at odds with your employer’s values and image, particularly if you are saying something related to your employer.
If you’re in doubt about your company’s policies, ask your supervisor if the company has a policy relating to social media sites. This will make you look proactive and responsible and also help you make better decisions when it comes to your personal online activities.
In a blog called Search Engine Watch, marketing strategist Liana Evans writes, “Companies have to start thinking about setting policies in place about how their employees reference their employers on social media sites. Especially if they are negative, they must clearly spell out what the repercussions are,” said Evans.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have privacy or freedom of speech, but it does mean that should be smart about your activities online.
“The Internet gives us an opportunity to share a lot more with a lot more people, so we have to be more concerned about what our reputation is like, especially online,” said Croll. “A lot of people don’t think about the ramifications of that.”
From these tales of fired journalists, it’s useful to remember that the importance of maintaining your online reputation doesn’t end once you land a job.
- Christine Janesko
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