Reuters editor punished for comment in company chat room

The Baron, a site that tracks Reuters-related news, writes that an editor, Andrew Marshall, has been given a reprimand for a comment he made to a colleague in Japan in a private company message chat.

The Baron reports, “His comment about radiation levels in Tokyo following the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown – ‘Is your hair starting to fall out?’ – was directed to a bald colleague in Japan.

“It was in the middle of the night on the Asiadesk in Singapore where he was alone on the overnight shift that had been started after the Japan crisis hit.

“There were about 25 to 30 people in the Reuters messaging chat room created specifically for journalists involved in the Japan disaster story. All were Reuters journalists, mostly in other regions.

“‘I was feeling slightly miserable alone on the Asiadesk in the middle of the night watching images of death and suffering on multiple TV screens … I thought my message might raise a few smiles, and I know from extensive experience working in war zones and disaster areas how important this is for team morale,’ he said.”

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