The NBA’s Charlotte Hornets have suspended radio play-by-play man John Focke indefinitely after he tweeted the N-word. He said it was an accident and he immediately apologized when he saw what he did. How would you handle the situation if one of your employees sent out that tweet? Here’s how Focke explained what he did to WBTV.
Focke told WBTV he was using an iPhone to send this. On a kepyad “u” is next to the “i” and the “t” is next to the “r.” “I was trying to get it done as fast as I could so that it was relevant by the time I posted it. I tried to type it and obviously I mistyped the word ‘Nuggets.’ And I did not reread it — which, as you know, that’s rule No. 1 of working in the media. And unfortunately, I didn’t, because I was trying to get it up as fast as possible. And I hit ‘Send.'”
What people say on Social Media has cost many people their jobs.
If one of your on-air hosts sent out the same tweet and how it happened the same way, what would you do and why?
Strike One; MAYBE; but nothing more! If Managers are going to call out the Firing Squad every time an employee makes a mistake (and this one probably was computer-generated), it is the Manager’s fault!
Suspension yes, fire no..
A week or two Suspension with pay giving the listener the time to oh the station took action & gives a little time to forget and move on. Make sure he understands how serious this issue is and Not to let it happen again, in other words, double-check everything you just typed before hitting that SEND button. Got to do something as a manager and I beleive this was just a very unfortunate accident.
Time to “OH” ??? See rule 1 : – )
If the OKC Thunder announcer can be fired for using the phrase “cotton-picking” then this guy is toast.
Unfortunately this is not a clear nor easy answer. This calls for a complete background check on the talent. They should expect nothing less. If this was truly an error, it is a big one. That calls for an investigation into not only the incident, but his character. His cooperation into this investigation will only help his cause. Any push back with lead to further suspicion. Make the investigation as transparent with the public as you can. Whatever turns up will determine his fate. Gone are the days of quick decisions in matters of this nature. You have to get it right.
I’d love to see the whole tweet to judge. If the sentence makes more sense with Nugget in it then no, I wouldn’t fire him. Clearly a mistake. If it doesn’t make sense then goodbye. If it makes sense with either word….whew, tough call.
Who hasn’t had auto correct t go rogue. I would say no BUT definitely have a plan to fix the situation.
I’ve seen spell check create stranger errors. If the guy has no prior incidents. He deserves the benefit of the doubt and should get off with a warning.