Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

newsweek.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 597 posts

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#101

Post by tptacek »

tomcam wrote: post #98
tptacek wrote: post #63

Just a reminder that Newsweek ceased publication back in 2013, and the rights to its brand were purchased by an odd Christian sect, somewhat along the lines of The Washington Times and the Reunification Church. The new "Newsweek" capitalizes on the brand reputation of the old one, but has no connections to it; a good thing to do with Newsweek pieces is to check the byline and look up what their background is.

I’m old fashioned. I judge articles not on whether they are published by “an odd Christian sect”, but how accurate and well-sourced they are. But hey, I’m a Boomer.

You can do that. I'm just pointing out that people have a conception of what Newsweek is that doesn't match what it currently is. It's worth knowing about.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#104

Post by tomcam »

tptacek wrote: post #101
tomcam wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m old fashioned. I judge articles not on whether they are published by “an odd Christian sect”, but how accurate and well-sourced they are. But hey, I’m a Boomer.

You can do that. I'm just pointing out that people have a conception of what Newsweek is that doesn't match what it currently is. It's worth knowing about.

How do you know what people are thinking?

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#105

Post by JohnHaugeland »

tomcam wrote: post #104
tptacek wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can do that. I'm just pointing out that people have a conception of what Newsweek is that doesn't match what it currently is. It's worth knowing about.

How do you know what people are thinking?

The magic of conversation

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#106

Post by filmgirlcw »

neartheplain wrote: post #84
common_crow wrote: post #10

Reminds me of Dawn Frederick, a literary agent who was "cancelled" for calling 911 on looters who rammed a van into the gas station on her apartment block: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/p... This happened during the BLM protests this summer in St. Loius. The looters she reported were blocks away from any BLM protest, and other looting bands were setting fires on nearby blocks. Frederick w…

Another for your list: Jordanian-American woman gets her publishing deal canceled for tweeting about a rude DC Metro employee, because the Metro employee was black. https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2019/05/11/dc-...

I’m very much against people being fired for their social media posts (unless we’re crossing way over a line that delves into calls for violence or is doing something illegal), but that situation was a bit more complicated. That author, who was PR professional and verified on Twitter, was using her account and her blue-checkmark to shame a worker on a train for eating on her break. She literally tried to get that employee fired and put their face all over the internet. So forgive me if I don’t weep for someone being snitched on on social media when they were snitching themselves and using their position (brands and places like the transit authority take complaints from people with blue checks much more seriously and blue checks absolutely know this) to try to get someone fired for daring to break a rule of eating on a train. Come on now. Her losing her book contract with a publisher no one has ever heard of seems almost fitting.

ETA: Since then, she’s also been able to leverage that experience into redemption/victimhood profiles on Good Morning America and an article in Elle UK. Both opportunities I guarantee she never would have had with her debut novel, so she’s fine.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#107

Post by Proziam »

mhh__ wrote: post #94
snicker7 wrote: post #73

At this point, companies might as well just have an explicit policy of not hiring anyone registered as a Republican. Party affiliation is not a protected class, after all.

What percentage of Republicans are the stereotype Parler user? If you were a rabid QAnon nut, why should I hire you? Saying republican is this context is just driving the wedge in too far.

The better question is what percentage of Parler users fit the stereotype?

Based on what I've seen and people I know who were active on Gab and Parler I would venture to say it's not nearly as high as people think. The amount of people with truly fringe beliefs is pretty small, even when concentrated.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#108

Post by pochamago »

perryizgr8 wrote: post #95

I suppose the agency has the right to fire/hire whoever it wants. The person who was fired is free to start her own agency. What's the problem here?

It is possible to think an individual should have certain rights without thinking they should act on them.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#109

Post by elastolin »

sneak wrote: post #77
hertzrat wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Social media accounts are not credentials, and that requirement is bogus for 99% of jobs unless your job is social media publicity

Forget about credentials, hiring someone is a risk and you basically go into it as an employer flying blind. I request social media links (not passwords, just profile links) from everyone I'm considering hiring, because any/all information I can use to winnow potentially problem hires out before I make an offer is extremely valuable to me. You can tell a lot about a person from their social media profiles and posts.

Is this satire? The fact that you even specify that you "do not ask for passwords" for social media accounts of potential hires, is sketchy as fuck. I'm sorry for the desperate people that go along with this shit.

Re: Agent fired from literary agency for using Parler and Gab

#110

Post by Proziam »

belltaco wrote: post #44
300bps wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fired agent telegraphed which law she believed has been violated when she said, "I just got fired because I'm a Christian and a conservative." https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination

She can say what she wants. Is being active on Gab and Parler a Christian religious activity?

A huge percentage of content on Gab is based around religion. If that's where your religious community is (and most people can't see others in person for worship at the moment) then yes, it absolutely is a religious activity.
Post reply on HN