It seems like the baldness/radiation joke just served to entangle the first guy in the whole mess, so he got a stern warning.

This is all just based on those 2 little articles that don’t really say much about the actual facts of the situation though, so maybe I’m way off.

re: “Gottfried was an extended victim of 9/11… ”

That is why black jokes may only be made by black people.
Jewish jokes may only be made by other Jews.
Gay jokes may only be made by other gays.
Women jokes may only be made by other women.
etc

My ancestors were hung at the gallows, you insensitive clod!

The people who would outlaw this sort of thing are the enemies (moderate hyperbole) of humanity.

People can be heroes, engaged in saving people’s lives, doing worthwhile things (yeah .. I know, these guys were just journalists) and crack the most appalling jokes about the most terrible trajedies. Doesn’t mean squat. They have to do it, to lift themselves – too much sincerity can grind you down. People have to lighten themselves and their friends/colleagues up.

Personally, I’d fire the people who fired/reprimaned the people who were fired/reprimanded.

No one wants a world where we all have to walk around with a stick up our asses, afraid to say the wrong thing.

*troll face*

It’s blatant overreacting.

Reuters insiders in Asia said Marshall’s story is part of a wider saga, details of which are likely to be told soon.

Doesn’t surprise me. Some friends of mine used to work there in the late 80s and early 90s, when it was (apparently) a fun place with a sense of humour. Then another friend of mine started working there in the late 90s (Reuters bought his company who were providing the Tablet applications for Reuters 3000) and after a year, he’d had enough and went back home to Australia.

The individual who was fired is one of the few reporters left at Reuters who has the experience, fortitude and talent to go into extremely difficult and sometimes dangerous situations at the drop of a hat and get the story right. He has worked in many hotspots for the last 20 years and his writing is always precise, accurate and humane.

I am pretty sure that I am correct in saying that when he realised the nature of the error he will have moved heaven and earth to correct it, the new regime at Reuters gave him no support and gave hime the axe.

Given the length of his tenure and the nature of his service, it is safe to assume that Reuters’ new masters at Thompson will have regarded this error as a godsend, enabling them to rid themselves of a respected representative of the old Reuters and saving themselves what will surely have been a substantial pension in the future.

Piheads.

Richard Pryor was funny. So was George Carlin. So was Bill Hicks and Lenny Bruce. I paid money to see them, and got my money’s worth. But it seems every wageslave nowadays goes out of his way to be amusing, and make lame humor out of tragic situations.

If all you office funnymen have balls, then step up onstage next open mic if you think you’re a comedian, give it a try, don’t inflict it on your co-workers, a captive audience.

In fact, now that I’m self employed, I will make it policy for my first, and all future employees to have a sick sense of humor, with little regard for political correctness. As long as the customers don’t see it. Do you know why? Because it makes the work place tolerable, and dare I say, fun?

Please, Reuters, keep up the good work, and keep up employee freedom to crack a joke and have fun. It’s what keeps your people happy, and it shows in their work.

I agree that most people think they’re funnier than they are, but standup comedy hasn’t changed social humor THAT much, there were always terrible yuk yuk jokes.

Hell, there were plenty of poop/fart jokes in greek plays.

Would he have made the joke in his article for example? If not, then he would probably consider it to be a dangerous statement.

As to working night shift etc… BS, no excuse. We all work at different times. Working after 10pm doesn’t mean you can suddenly say or do what you want.

My response to Gottfried’s shit jokes:
Hey Gottfried – Japan called, they have found some of your relatives’ possessions in the tsunami debris.. of the Miyagi Auschwitz museum!

Tasteless joke is tasteless.

In my years if I got fired it would have been from my boss, HR would have just done the paperwork.

The exchange took place in a work chat-room seen by other colleagues, including women. Being ‘under duress’ is hardly an excuse. The offending remark came from someone who has worked in war zones and he made the remark in downtown Tokyo — which though earthquake-shaken is hardly downtown Baghdad. And what about our other colleagues in Tokyo who continue to work with quiet dignity and without making sexually crude comments?