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Did No Social Media Policy Lead to Racist Remarks?

December 12, 2011 by

West Indian Day Parade 2011A dozen or more New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers could get dooced for posting offensive comments on Facebook calling West Indian Day parade-goers in Brooklyn “savages,” “filth,” and “animals.” (Dooced, in case you don’t know, means fired from one’s job as a result of one’s actions on the Internet.)

The New York Times reported last week at least 20 comments maligning parade-goers on a “No More West Indian Day Detail” Facebook page were from NYPD officers. The page, dedicated to the unpleasantness of working during the annual event, disappeared from public view just days after a defence lawyer for a man arrested during the parade found it, but not before the attorney saved all the data.

Almost as disturbing as the hateful speech officers allegedly used is the fact the NYPD may not have an official social media policy. New York Radio Station WNYC 93.9 FM reported Paul Browne, spokesman for the NYPD, could not confirm one existed.

Huh!

You could understand that if we were talking about some rural community but the NYPD? Come on!

While it may be obvious to some that you shouldn’t post anything anywhere online you wouldn’t want your grandmother, boss, or religious leader to read, it isn’t obvious to everyone. Besides spelling out proper employee conduct, a social media policy is a must for empowering your employees to excel in social media on behalf of your institution.

Kim Stephens, writer of the idisaster 2.0 blog, wrote an extremely informative post I could not begin to improve upon on the 36 Items to include in Government Social Media policies. My advice to the NYPD (and any other government entity) is to check out her post and develop one!

 



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About Monica

Monica specializes in strategic communications, web and new media, and print materials with an international or multi-cultural context. She has worked on national public outreach campaigns targeting multi-cultural audiences and has conceptualized, written, and/or designed multiple websites. Monica also has written, edited, and/or designed high-profile newsletters, brochures, and reports, including some prepared in collaboration with the White House. She holds a bachelor’s in journalism and a master of international service with a focus on international communication. Monica is based in Washington, D.C.