IN education there have already been several cases where school boards or boards of regents have used Internet images, in at least two cases posted on facebook, to fire teachers for grounds akin to "moral turpitude." -- the one I remember from PA from two years ago was a teacher who had a picture of herself in a pirate outfit at a party holding a 16 oz plastic cup -- the board decided that this photo suggested she drank, or drank a lot, or might be irresponsible, or was a poor role model, so some damned combination that violated a specific clause of her contract.
Extending this, I know that the search committee of colleges and universities DO more than just Google search; they often make a point to look in facebook or check and see if anyone is a friend or related by a chain of association to the applicants. They use what they find to narrow the field of applicants.
Closer to your point and the mistreatment (IMHO) of Sherrod (by everyone) is the issue of context and how often it is manipulated and skewed--spun for ideological or political advantage. One of the implications I see is that I could go to a conference, give a paper on X, have someone in the audience ask a semi-related question, and then post my answer without any of the context on the Internet -- and THEN add their own context. Worse, I don't search for myself obsessively, so the first I would be aware of such an attack would be when someone "unofficially" advised me this was part of the decision regarding my hiring, firing, tenure, contract, etc.
The fact the the NAACP and Dept. superiors DID NOT establish context, but responded to an attack-by-media really pisses me off and in many ways it is a throwback to the Red Baiting of the McCarthy era when evidence wasn't necessary, just the accusation alone tarnished reputation and career.
So fuck Fox, but also fuck the agency, and the administration. She should have a suit and while I hate the prevalence of legal actions in out litigious society, this is her career that has been fucked with and no one had her back. Worse, it took another media outlet to help -- if I were more conspiracy-theory driven I'd wonder about that aspect.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2010-07-22 03:12 pm (UTC)-- the one I remember from PA from two years ago was a teacher who had a picture of herself in a pirate outfit at a party holding a 16 oz plastic cup -- the board decided that this photo suggested she drank, or drank a lot, or might be irresponsible, or was a poor role model, so some damned combination that violated a specific clause of her contract.
Extending this, I know that the search committee of colleges and universities DO more than just Google search; they often make a point to look in facebook or check and see if anyone is a friend or related by a chain of association to the applicants. They use what they find to narrow the field of applicants.
Closer to your point and the mistreatment (IMHO) of Sherrod (by everyone) is the issue of context and how often it is manipulated and skewed--spun for ideological or political advantage. One of the implications I see is that I could go to a conference, give a paper on X, have someone in the audience ask a semi-related question, and then post my answer without any of the context on the Internet -- and THEN add their own context. Worse, I don't search for myself obsessively, so the first I would be aware of such an attack would be when someone "unofficially" advised me this was part of the decision regarding my hiring, firing, tenure, contract, etc.
The fact the the NAACP and Dept. superiors DID NOT establish context, but responded to an attack-by-media really pisses me off and in many ways it is a throwback to the Red Baiting of the McCarthy era when evidence wasn't necessary, just the accusation alone tarnished reputation and career.
So fuck Fox, but also fuck the agency, and the administration. She should have a suit and while I hate the prevalence of legal actions in out litigious society, this is her career that has been fucked with and no one had her back. Worse, it took another media outlet to help -- if I were more conspiracy-theory driven I'd wonder about that aspect.