Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Tucson Weekly Contributor Brian Pedersen Was Obliquely Mentioned in NY Times For Using Twitter Badly

Posted By on Tue, Jan 22, 2013 at 2:30 PM

Brian J. Pedersen, frequent Tucson Weekly contributor and former employee of the Arizona Daily Star, was mentioned, in a sideways fashion, in a New York Times article discussing whether or not speech posted on the Internet is protected by law, according to the National Labor Relations Board.

In Pedersen's case, they felt it wasn't:

The N.L.R.B. had far less sympathy for a police reporter at The Arizona Daily Star.

Frustrated by a lack of news, the reporter posted several Twitter comments. One said, “What?!?!?! No overnight homicide. ... You’re slacking, Tucson.” Another began, “You stay homicidal, Tucson.”

The newspaper fired the reporter, and board officials found the dismissal legal, saying the posts were offensive, not concerted activity and not about working conditions.

You can find Pedersen's comments about the firing and subsequent actions here and here.

Pedersen had this to say today via Twitter:

Got cited by a major international media outlet as an example of how not to use Twitter. What did YOU accomplish today? #strangelyproud

On a related note, make sure to check out this week's cover feature, written by Pedersen!

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