Fired over Facebook comment … or was it her hair?

3. Rhonda Lee is fired.

KTBS Station Manager George Sirven stated:

“Ms. Rhonda Lee was let go for repeatedly violating that procedure and after being warned multiple times of the consequences if her behavior continued. Rhonda Lee was not dismissed for her appearance or defending her appearance. She was fired for continuing to violate company procedure.”

The hypocrisy is so thick that it’s suffocating.  On the one hand, news people are expected to engage social media and drive traffic back to their stations in order to increase the ratings; on the other hand, news people are not to respond to comments?

When a politically incorrect comment isn’t immediately addressed it can backfire. KTBS did not respond swiftly, the meteorologist responded herself, five days later.

No response is not the answer in social media, as it is akin to consent. KTBS threw Rhonda Lee under the bus  and used a loose social media policy to do so.

Perhaps now KTBS honchos can activate a social media strategy to protect the dignity of their on-air personalities, and, of course, to diffuse the social media outrage that is headed their way.