Media Negotiations Syndicate sues Washington Post for suspending media reporter who tweeted about domestic injunction 08/23/2022 16:39

The journalist did not comment on the process.

The case once again questions the limits of use of social networks by company employees – especially journalists – which has already led to regulations aimed at framing fights, layoffs, discourse of those who somehow represent processes and institutions in public. . they even work on their personal accounts.

That’s a specter for the Washington Post, which faced a similar storm when it fired reporter Felicia Sommez in June.

He used Twitter for a public confrontation over a sexist tweet by a colleague, and was eventually fired for taking the newspaper’s criticism of the case to social media.

Also Read | The Washington Post reporter’s sexist tweet turned into a crisis, leading to the resignation of his complaining colleague

The Washington Post justified its decision not to publish the “dates” of its journalists in Russia (the date and location of the news release) and the names of the authors of the reports on the grounds that the aim was to avoid retaliation from Russia. government of Vladimir Putin.

Paul Farhi, a journalist who has worked for the publication since 1988, criticized the idea on Twitter:

“Some Insider News: In response to Putin’s threats to journalists, The Washington Post will remove signatures and dates from stories produced by our journalists in Russia. The aim is to ensure the safety of employees. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Some domestic news: in response to Putin’s threats to journalists in Russia, @washingtonpost It will remove signature and date lines from stories produced by our journalists in Russia. The aim is to ensure the safety of personnel.

I’ve been here for a while. I’ve never seen anything like this.

– Paul Farhi (@farhip) March 5, 2022

The media reporter is known for broadcasting behind the scenes about journalism, including the newspaper he works for.

In 2013, billionaire Jeff Bezos announced that he would buy the newspaper. And, according to the story-breaking Washingtonian magazine, he frequently tweets about exclusives he’s learned from the inside.

According to Fox News, Farhi filed an internal appeal against the suspension on March 15, arguing that it was without reason.

Then the union should mediate the case. However, on August 9, the Post reported that the union agreement had expired (at the end of June) and therefore the complaint was “not compliant with arbitration.”

Ten days later, the Washington-Baltimore News Guild took the case to court on behalf of Paul Farhi to force arbitration of the appeal.

Washingtonian magazine received a copy of Farhi’s suspension letter, alleging that Russia “violated the company’s social media policy” by publishing its war-related instructions.

The document, obtained by the Washingtonian, says the journalist learned of the guidelines for a company Slack channel used by the reporting team of which Farhi is also a part.

The letter stated that after his dismissal, the Postal administration expected Farhi to “exercise impeccable professional judgment and, in particular, never again act in such a way as to endanger the safety of his colleagues or make it difficult for them to do their job”. for mail”.

The letter warned that similar actions in the future could result in “increased disciplinary action up to and including termination of your employment”.

In the lawsuit, the union alleges that Farhi’s suspension was made by editors Krissah Thompson and Tracy Grant (no longer working at The Post).

For the syndicate, the journalist’s stance is characterized as “reporting truthfully in the Post news during his tenure as media reporter”.

Farhi, wanted by the Washingtonian, declined to comment on the lawsuit or its suspension in March. The Washington Post also did not respond to requests for comment from the outlet.

Union and newspaper No collective bargaining agreement since June

In the lawsuit, the union also accuses the newspaper of refusing to resolve Farhi’s suspension with the organization, as outlined in the newspaper’s contract with the Washington-Baltimore News Guild.

In response to a union lawyer in August, a legal representative for the Post said that since the company’s collective bargaining agreement with the union expired on June 30, the newspaper had no obligation to include him in Farhi’s case.

The union denied this claim in court, stating that termination of the contract “does not relieve Post of its contractual obligation to arbitrate claims filed before expiration.”

The newspaper and the Washington-Baltimore News Guild are in talks for a new deal that includes professionals working on the vehicle.

Representatives from both sides met three times, but a new deal is expected to take some time, according to Washingtonian magazine.

The Post Guild, the exclusive union of newspaper workers, said in a statement that all employees of the company “have the right to appeal disciplinary action by filing a complaint and presenting your case to an arbitrator (union representative or private attorney).”

“This is one of the key protections our union agreement guarantees. We are deeply disappointed by the Post’s unwillingness to respect this right, or to deal fairly with the Post in matters of Discipline.”