Aide Resigns Over Facebook Posts on Harvard Arrest
By Sewell ChanUpdated, 10:15 a.m. | The arrest of the Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. on a disorderly conduct charge — later dropped — has prompted adiscussion about race and policing in America, particularly after President Obama weighed in (and later backed away from initial remarks) on the episode.
The ramifications have reached far beyond Cambridge, Mass., and Washington. On Monday, a young aide to a New York City politician resigned after posting comments on her Facebook page about the controversy.
The aide, Lee Landor, who had been the deputy press secretary to the Manhattan borough president, Scott M. Stringer, since May, posted comments on her Facebook page criticizing Mr. Gates and the president, whom she referred to at one point as “O-dumb-a.”
The reaction was swift after word of Ms. Landor’s online comments spread in city government circles on Monday.
“Ms. Landor’s comments were totally inappropriate and in direct contradiction to the views of the borough president and his office,” Dick Riley, Mr. Stringer’s communications director, said in a statement on Monday evening. “The borough president has accepted Ms. Landor’s resignation, effective immediately.”
Ms. Landor, a graduate of the State University of New York at New Paltz, had worked as a reporter for The Queens Tribune, a spokeswoman for Councilman James F. Gennaro of Queens, and as an editor for The Queens Chronicle before joining Mr. Stringer’s staff. She did not respond to a request for comment on Monday evening, and as of Monday night her Facebook page had been deactivated. The Web site City Hall News reported on Ms. Landor’s dismissal on Monday night.
Images of the Facebook posts — which were captured before the page was deactivated and provided to The New York Times on Monday afternoon — showed that Ms. Landor engaged in a spirited discussion of the Gates case with other users of the social-networking site.
Ms. Landor wrote in one post, “O-dumb-a, the situation got ‘out of hand’ because Gates is a racist, not because the officer was DOING HIS JOB!”
In response to one Facebook user who voiced disagreement, Ms. Landor referred to Professor Gates using a vulgarity and added, “And racial profiling does exist, but for good reason. Take a look at this country’s jails: who makes up the majority of inmates? Exactly.”
In another Facebook post, Ms. Landor wrote, “You know what, I am really getting SICK of hearing about how white people are evil racists.” She added: “I get it — white men have dominated for hundreds of years and there’s a lot of anger there. But HOW MUCH MORE can the white people people do to correct past injustices of their ancestors?”
Should one’s Facebook, Twitter or other social networking site comments be reason to fire (or tender resignation of) someone from their job?
Even as politicians use social media to get their message out — Mr. Stringer, for example, maintains a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter feed — the potential perils of the new online tools stand out.
I think the young aide, Lee Landor, made a fatal error assuming that her comments on Facebook would go unnoticed by someone who would get the comment she made back to her superiors. Especially comments such as the ones she made toward President Obama and Mr. Gates, Jr.
People have to remember that you’re not invisible or invincible in cyberspace and that there are consequences to your actions when posting there as well. Just because you are writing to a digital magazine, newspaper, or blog doesn’t mean that the rules of etiquette and laws regarding liable don’t apply. On the contrary, your audience is even greater in cyberspace than they are using other forms of communication because the reach is worldwide and not localized to a specific state, city, or township community.
The bottom line for me is Lee Landor got what she deserved. What happened to her should set the example for others to heed and take notice of in the future.
If you’re going to blog, BE CAREFUL what you say about whom you say it and why you say it, and be able to back it up what you say with facts, not opinion or pure fiction. You may have to use it in court later to defend yourself.
I totally agree, 100%, with what you say here. The country is, however, governed by rulers who forget the rules apply to themselves as well as the governed. President Obama forgot that when he lambasted the policeman who was doing his job in making his arrest of Mr. Gates, calling his action “stupid,” without having all of the facts as well. This is partly why the President recanted his previous comments. I do understand a standing President is immune from a lawsuit that may be brought in court for actions the President may take, such as making slanderous remarks; that is, the police officer could not sue President Obama in court. However, he has the obligation as President to set the tone for what the common citizenry should or should not do. I would agree that no one should expect that their comments made online in blogs or social networking sites should somehow be any different from writing and sending an email to their friends, etc. or posting comments on a bulletin board at work, etc. because it really isn’t. A little common sense goes a long way.
Всем привет!
Недавно прошла тест, результат удивил!
[URL=http://prikolnietesti.ru/]психологические тесты без смс[/URL]
I think a better idea would to have Scott M. Stringer just respond to the Facebook postings, what do you think?
Great info! I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don