With her battery nearly dead, Neelam takes the quick route. She posts: “Correction: my post regarding terrorism and the photo have nothing to do with the nuclear situation. The official turned out to be a flight attendant. It was just speculation.” And with that, after a few quick checks on her favorite blogs, her phone dies.
The next time Neelam checks her email, having found the lone outlet on the coach bus to charge her phone, her inbox is overflowing. The top email is a note from the firm’s golden boy, Biddle. The subject reads “Nice work” and the email is just a forward that he has sent to Neelam’s immediate supervisor – “Do you think we should check on Neelam?” he writes - and copies her original post from Facebook.
Then an email from the boss, Mr. Gregory, labeled “Urgent.” He writes: “It is inappropriate for you to be sharing information in such a public manner, especially in a situation like this. This is not the way our firm does business, Neelam.”
She also has an email from a local Hazeltown news station asking her to call in and be on air as part of their social media coverage.
No one read the retraction. Neelam’s stomach sinks as she exits the bus at the Hazeltown stop. The post went viral and didn’t stop.
She finds the firm’s local office and delivers the closing documents to a relieved team. The closing is still going ahead and they haven’t given much credence to the nuclear warnings. They have seen her post, however, and warn her not to be so hasty in her declarations. The worst part? They tell her the firm has decided to terminate her associate position early and they will not be making her an offer. They “wish her well in her future endeavors.” At least, she can see her mother through surgery.
SCOREVIDEOS: IM_END 9_STAR 2.ogv,IM_END 4_STAR 3.ogv, 2,3
CAPTION: Dean Miller - Director, Center For News Literacy, SUNY
Dean Miller - Director, Center For News Literacy, SUNY
BUTTON: Section 1 Introduction