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| Creative Commons photo by teamstickergiant |
Journalists must strive to be objective in their reporting and writing, whether it's what they say or write. That's why, for example, reporters must use the words "allegedly" or "alleged" when they are reporting about someone who is suspected of doing something wrong or inappropriate.
One must be careful with headline writing too. Here is a case study to illustrate the point. Read this article about an ESPN sports editor who was fired for a headline he wrote last year.
Then read this article that is critical of the editor, despite his apology.
Finally, listen to this brief podcast to learn how the editor's family helped him cope with the fall-out of his firing.
What are your thoughts? Did he deserve to be fired? Or are people too sensitive and concerned with "political correctness" today?
I don't think he deserved to be fired,but I do think that ESPN did the right thing in firing him. Their reputation would have been ruined if they had kept him there, but I'm sure that if they weren't as big as they were he would've been able to stay. The way it was perceived and how people are so into that today also didn't help his case. The podcast seemed a little cheesy, but it did get across that he isn't a bad guy and I'm glad that he got another opportunity somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is unfortunate that Federico's career was ended so quickly over what he says was a careless accident, I think ESPN firing him was expected. Whether he meant it to be a double entendre/pun or not, it was still a careless phrase to be used in that context, especially for an editor, who should know very well the power of words. I think society can be a little too sensitive and obsessed with 'political correctness' at times, but that is how things are, and the media, especially journalists, must take that into account. A simple mistake like he made doesn't seem like it should lead to firing, but it is what the media expects ESPN to do, even if Federico had used the same phrase applied to other players and other articles. I think journalists and others who work in the media should pay close attention to Federico's case, making sure in their writings and reportings to always recognize the power of words and the importance of being politically correct in our society.
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ReplyDeleteI do not think Anthony Frederico intended to use a racist slur, or is racist himself. I think he made a careless error that made it necessary for ESPN to drop him. Whether it was intentional or not, Frederico wrote a headline that many interpreted to be very offensive and that reflected on ESPN's image. Even though Ferderico probably did not intend to be offensive, ESPN had to fire him in order to protect their company and reputation. ESPN probably felt that people would expect him to be fired for his error as well. I do think society has become a little too touchy with political correctness, though. In some situations, "political correctness" is understandable, but in a lot of cases I think people can get a little too sensitive. In this situation, however, I believe the ESPN did what they had to do for the good of the company.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Anthony Federico, an editor for ESPN, deserved to be fired. I think Federico should have been more careful before posting the headline. Federico should have been more responsible, especially since he was writing on ESPN.com, a website that millions of people worldwide read. Federico should have done more research and made sure that his headline would not be received in the wrong way. It is Federico's responsibility to make sure that his headline is appropriate. In this case, Federico did not check to make sure his headline was appropriate, and therefore suffered the consequences. Also, a racial slur is not a small mistake. A racial slur is a huge mistake and can hurt many people around the globe. Additionally, publishing a racial slur on a public website can hurt the companies reputation. Federico deserved to be fired because of his lack of responsibility, and ESPN did the right thing in firing him.
ReplyDeleteI do understand the severity, and wrongness, of what he said, but when it comes down to it, we are all humans and we all make mistakes. I genuinely feel like he meant something else by what he said, but in the position he was in, he should have been aware of the racial tension this phrase carried with it. I find it ridiculous that people reacted the way they did, the death threats, and hate mail went way to far. I really admire the way his family stuck by his side, and encouraged him, even when the "road" got rough. It was heart warming that through all of that, they still were proud of him, and didn't throw him under the bus, like the public often loves to hear about. I don't think he should be fired, it was an honest mistake and he caused no real "damage" then upsetting a lot of people, but then again that was their interpretation of what they said.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is a good example of one mistake that can change your entire reputation. I do think he should have been fired for ESPN's sake. As an editor, I think Frederico should have known that he was using a racial slur, and it may affect some readers personally. ESPN didn't want to present their company in such a manner, and I think they had a right to fire him. I strongly believe that society is obsessed with "political correctiveness". A good example of that would any Youtube video. The comment section sometimes can get a little heated, especially with very controversial topics like gay marriage and religion. People try to correct each other with their knowledge of a certain topic. In the end, I think this is a learning experience for journalists everywhere to be mindful of what they put in articles.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Anthony Federico intended for his article to racist or hurtful and I do not believe that he is racist. He made a careless mistake and did not think his words through before putting it out there for the world to see and because of Mr. Federico's lapse in judgement it was necessary for ESPN to fire him. Federico should have known the mistake his was making and realized, although his intention was pure, that some people will take the title offensively. Some people over reacted with the hate mail and death threats to Federico's family but the title was hurtful to some people and should have been thought more thoroughly but no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that Federico deserved to be fired from his job as editor. His racial slur was a careless mistake, and I don't think he had any intention of being prejudice toward Jeremy Lin. Also, he has used the phrase, "chink in the armor" many times with other articles on athletes, and most likely wasn't thinking about how it would sound when being applied to Lin. However, for the sake of ESPNs reputation I do think that he needed to be fired. If they had kept Federico, they would have been immensely criticized and may even lose viewers. Furthermore, I do think that society today can be a little oversensitive when it comes to matters that involve "political corrected-ness" but I feel that being over sensitive is much better than not caring about topics involving race.
ReplyDeleteI honestly believe that Federico made a mistake and that he is not racist. However, I think he deserved to be fired. Race is a sensitive topic and using slurs can really make people feel insulted and uncomfortable. Federico had to be fired for ESPN's sake. It would look really bad on ESPN's part if they kept Federico because so many people were offended by the headline. People probably would've boycotted ESPN if they didn't fire Federico. I feel bad that Federico and his family were in fear for their lives just because of a headline. There was no reason that other people should be sending death threats Federico and his family because ESPN had already handled the situation properly by firing him. This whole story just goes to show how one mistake can turn your life upside down.
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ReplyDeleteAnthony Federico made a huge mistake. I was really shocked that he chose to use that as his headline, it is one thing to make a mistake, but it is another to make just a really poor decision. And that is exactly what Federico did. He put that headline out there, he knew what it said and he knew that it was offensive. He wasn't like oops I accidentally clicked enter on this title when I meant to delete it, that's a mistake, what Federico did was just wrong. I do think that he should have been fired.
ReplyDeleteI think that Anthony Federico deserved to be fired. What he wrote was offensive and obviously racist. Anthony doesn't seem racist himself but he put himself in a difficult situation. There is no way to excuse what he did. What he said was a very big mistake. He used a racial slur in his title and I believe that that is not something that should be taken lightly. I do not think that people are too sensitive or concerned with "political correctness" today. However, I do not believe that Anthony and his family should have been threatened. I think that him being fired was enough punishment, and that he should continue writing and learn from his mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI think that Anthony Federico's headline was inappropriate. If he had so many years of experience and was such a gifted writer he shouldn't have made such a juvenile mistake. I do not think he should have been fired if this was his first racial remark. A better option could have been suspension or probation. The threats he and his family received were out of line and unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteI think Anthony Federico should be fired because what he said was insensitive. When you're a reporter you have to be careful of what you say and how it is said, and if they use those kinds of words they should know how they could be interpreted. Also, it shows how he is careless with his job for not noticing the mistake he made in the article. That shows to his superiors that he is not qualified for his job especially in this line of work because a lot of people will be able to see his mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that Frederico's headline was very inappropiate and offensive. Along with this, I think it was fitting for him to get fired. Journalists have the responsibility of making sure that what they write about is correct and not offensive. By choosing this as a headline, Frederico completely disregarded that responsibility. Even though it was just one mistake, it was a huge mistake and something that should not be excused. Although at times it seems that our society is too obsessed with whether or not things are "politically correct", in this case it was extremely politically incorrect and not acceptable at all.
ReplyDeleteI think Anthony Federico's headline was disrespectful and ESPN made a wise decision in firing him. Since Federico represents ESPN, his careless choice of words attracted negative attention towards ESPN. It's his responsibility to know everything he's writing and unfortunately his error cost him his job. It's sad how Federico lost his job over a headline but now he knows to think twice before publishing anything.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Anthony Frederico intentionally wrote this to disrespect the player. I think it was an honest mistake. You can't always catch comments like these. Although, it is his job to catch these things. Though it may not have been intentional, I think ESPN did the right thing in firing him. The headline can be read either way. It can be read as a racial slurr or as a creative headline. The problem is that the headline can be read offensively and may upset readers. ESPN needs to make sure a mistake like this does not happen again. Therefore, I think they made the right decision in firing him. I also think this mistake will serve as a reminder to other writers and editors at ESPN to check more carefully for mistakes such as these. Their actions toward Frederico now will serve as a precedent for the future.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Anthony Federico made a careless mistake that cost him his job; however, when you have a job with "a lot on the line" you need to be aware of everything that you publish. I personally don't think he deserved to loose his job over this situation, but he did deserve some type of demotion. ESPN made a smart move by firing Anthony Federico because it might have gave some peace of mind to people who were offended by the unintentional racial slur. This will be a eye opener to writers everywhere to think twice about their words before anyone else can review them.
ReplyDeleteAlthough coming off very racist, I feel that Frederico did not mean to do what he did. I do, however, think that ESPN made the right choice in firing him. If they had not fired him, both Frederico and ESPN would have been damaged. The racial comment definitely upset people, so therefore, something needed to be done. It is amazing how one simple mishap can impact such a large part of one's life. This man was obviously well into his headline writing career. I think that, being as far as he was, he should have known that this kind of thing is absolutely inappropriate. I feel that ESPN made the right choice because of his carelessness.
ReplyDeleteThis whole situation is pretty messy and I still don't know where I stand on whether or not Federico deserved to be fired. I am very sympathetic towards him especially after listening to the podcast. He seems very passionate about what he does and I do think it was an honest mistake. However, as a professional headline writer, I feel like he should've caught his mistake before he published the article. I don't understand how he couldn't have know the racial slur "chink" and realized how his headline could be misinterpreted. From the professional stand point, I can understand why ESPN fired him. However from the point that it was an honest mistake, they could've gone easier on him.
ReplyDeleteI understand why ESPN fired Federico but I think that they could have overreacted. Yes, he made a mistake and yes he shouldn't have referred to Lin that way but everybody makes careless mistakes. I do think that it was evident that ESPN was going to fire him because he was ruining their reputation. I feel that Federico was targeted and ganged up on by others. He didn't mean for a negative reaction like the one he got. He took all the blame for his story when in reality the editor and the people at ESPN who were supposed to oversee his work did not tell him it was inappropriate. I do not think that only Federico was at fault in this situation, other ESPN workers also were.
ReplyDeleteI understand why ESPN fired Federico but I think that they overreacted. Although Federico made a big mistake in his headline, I truly believe that it was a mistake and he had no intention of doing it. He had been working for ESPN for 5 years and had never done anything racist or offensive before. I think this should tell ESPN and the rest of the world that he did not intentionally make the comment about Lin. I see how ESPN felt the need to fire Federico to protect there reputation, but this was not all Federico's fault. The editors of ESPN should have over looked the headline and told him it was inappropriate before releasing the paper. Yes, It was a careless mistake that could have been prevented, but mistakes do happen and I do not think Federico should have been fired from ESPN.
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