As Americans across the nation are mourning the victims of the terrible mass shooting that took place during the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, CBS News is dealing with a different type of crisis.
One of the network’s legal executives was fired after making a comment on Facebook that she was “not even sympathetic” to the victims of the Las Vegas massacre because “country music fans often are Republican [sic] gun toters.”
The comment was posted by Hayley Geftman-Gold, CBS’ now-former vice president and senior counsel, after a gunman opened fire on a crowd of some 22,000 people who attended a concert, killing at least 58 people and injuring 500 more.
Although Geftman-Gold’s original comment was quickly deleted, it had already been captured and re-shared on social media by others. Shortly after, the story broke in news outlets across the country:
A CBS spokesperson issued the following statement in response to the incident: “This individual, who was with us for approximately one year, violated the standards of our company and is no longer an employee of CBS. Her views as expressed on social media are deeply unacceptable to all of us at CBS. Our hearts go out to the victims in Las Vegas and their families.”
Every single tweet, snap, blog, Facebook post or LinkedIn status update can easily be seen by millions. Just as importantly, they are a direct reflection on the person who shares them with the world. Which is precisely why everyone should always keep the Red Banyan golden rule of social media in mind: “Share with Care and Post with Purpose.”