American Morning
Twitter user outs president's 'jackass' comment
President Obama thought his comments about Kanye West were off the record when he called the singer a "jackass." They came during an interview with CNBC. The remark was overheard by people at ABC who then tweeted about it. So just what is fair game for tweeting while you are at work?
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/09/16/lewis.regina.art.jpg caption="Regina Lewis says it's important for employees to know their company's social networking policy."]
Regina Lewis is AOL’s consumer adviser and author of "Wired in a Week." She spoke to John Roberts on CNN’s “American Morning” Wednesday. Below is an edited transcript of the interview.
John Roberts: Let's just illuminate for folks at home what the tweet was that sort of launched a thousand conversations. It said, “Pres. Obama just called Kanye West a 'jackass' for his outburst at the VMAs when Taylor Swift won. Now THAT'S presidential.” ABC News says it was wrong for that tweet to go out. So I guess the caution here is be careful what you tweet these days?
Regina Lewis: Yeah. They are saying the threshold should be the same as if it was published on ABC.com, which has raised all kinds of questions within the journalism community. But it extends beyond that to everybody else at work. And that's got a lot of companies scrambling to update their business code of conduct and create things called acceptable use policies around social networking, which tweets would fall under.
President Obama calls Kanye West a "jackass" 
Roberts: The "Wall Street Journal" says business and pleasure should not be mixed. Folks at IBM are telling their employees to stay away from controversial topics. It is a new twist of business that they have to have social networking policies.
Lewis: Absolutely. And it can happen very quickly. You certainly want to know your company's policy. Generally speaking there are two kinds of Twitter accounts or social networking profiles: Company-sponsored, and those are usually run by the marketing department or the PR folks, versus an individual account. And this is where the lines blur because most people have things that they are talking about that are personal and professional.
The second that you post – even if it is just in your information area – that you work at x-company, odds are now your company is going to say "okay, so all of this is fair game because you are representing us." That's why the IBMs of the world encourage people to write in first person so that it is clear that it is your point of view and not the company's. And if needed, and maybe ask this, should I put a disclaimer that says anything I post here doesn't necessarily reflect the views of my company.
Roberts: Sports in particular have some unique challenges and unique issues to tackle. U.S. Tennis Association warned athletes during the U.S. Open not to tweet about matches, court conditions, injury status, etc., saying that could constitute illegal gambling.
Lewis: Yeah. Every industry has their own nuances. So take a public company for example. Are there forward looking thoughts that could spark insider trading? Are there patents? Is it proprietary information? And this kind of goes back to the president's off-the-cuff remarks, which are considered off the record.
What if I happened to see a bunch of guys in suits in the lobby and started to tweet that "wow, they looked happy, I smell a merger"? That's the kind of comments just based on what you see. You have to play it out in your head. Be careful what you wish for. And of course on the most effective tweets, the ones just like the Kanye West words out of the president's mouth are the ones that are controversial and spread very quickly. ABC pulled that tweet down, but was too late. It was already out there.
Roberts: So obviously it’s a challenge for companies always to stay ahead of the new technology. This is exploding as well. Might there come a day when they either have to monitor people's use of Twitter and Facebook or maybe restrict it? And what about people who do tweet or use Facebook during working hours? What should they keep in mind?
Lewis: Well, you should keep in mind if the company owns the computer, they may have rules about "hey, on work time, that's out of bounds. It’s our computer and we are paying you." So watch that. But keep in mind, people are doing this on their cell phones as well. Everybody has a personal cell phone. So where do you draw the line? Also, most companies don't want to forgo the potential upsides. Some of your most engaged employees are commenting on industry blogs. They like that. That reflects positively on the company. So they just need checks and balances in place so you get the upside without the potential downside.
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On Twitter
Could you imagine the outrage if George Bush had said Kanye West was a jackass and it got tweeted.... horrors
Am sure Obama was right, I agree with him, The guy is a Total Jackass from the word go.
to jim vicalvi
the only ignorance here is yours.you do not shout out at the president of the united states you show some respect for the office.in eight years of president charles in charge aka george bush no democrat ever did what was done to pres obama.show some respect for the office and the man.
Now this is one statement from Obama I can stand behind.
Look...President Obama said what he said...his own personal opinon that was asked of him by someone "off" the record...
Racism is still prevalent....dayum it man...when god comes like a theif in the night please believe he will not be racially motivated...Don't think cause today is a nice day and you know its supposed to rain tomorrow that your soul can't leave your body....I just can't wait till this world is free of all this negative crap and we can try to go back to the days where there was no impurity.
PS: That yahoo from South Carolina who called the President a liar is a bigger jackass. Is the state of South Carolina forever going to be ignorant? Their politicians are a disgrace.
Is everyone kidding me? I am not a fan of Obama, HOWEVER he made a statement that everyone else in the world is saying. What Kanye did was completely wrong. There is no denying that, and I would love it if I never heard his name or what he calls music again. As for the tweets, those "reporters" really need to get a life. Who cares. The truth was spoken, and that should be the end of it.
NEWS RELEASE: Holloywood just announced a new movie going into production this fall and being funded by ACORN and and the DNC. The movie entitled: JACKASS, The Twitter Generation, will be a docudrama about Prez Obama's life and times in the White House. Just announced after agreeing in principal for the leading roll of Obama will be Kayne West with Taylor Swift taking the part of Michelle. TMZ reports Taylor is taking the roll seriously and is working on her "upper arms" to make the character more realistic.
Obama was just speaking his mind...big deal, I respoect him for acting like the common man. Too many people in the limelight try to be Politically correct all the time. I wish Obama would swear more...like normal men do.
I am sick of hearing about Kanye West, his over inflated ego and bad behavior. He is a jackass.
He who is without sin, right?
West is a jackass, what's to argue? Obama is entitled to his opinion. The difference is Obama expressed an opinion privately (or so he thought), Wilson wanted to be a grand-stander. There is a big difference there. If you don't see that then you are probably a Palin supporter and there isn't much hope for you. You should move to another country where you can hate to your heart's content. You certainly don't belong in the land of the free and home of the brave.
Message to: jim vicalvi September 16th, 2009 11:20 am ET
" While I agree with obama, it seems that he has an opinion about everything. And, everybody knows what opinions are like!! obama, kahne and serena can all express their opinions and everything is just fine. But, Joe Wilson expresses his and immediately he is wrong. But, then, we all know what the first 3 share. IGNORANCE!! "
- Everything is just fine?? Are you serious? So the near castration of Kayne in the press and pretty much across the country is your example of 'just fine'?? A 10k fine and a formal investigation into Serena is your example of 'just fine'? You're just another Republican using the tired old 'Liberal Media' BS again. Take your blinders off....
I have no problem with the comment. Just because he is the President does not mean he is not human and sees things as they are. KANYE IS A JACK***. It is what it is.
Poor Jim is now getting a piece of what Joe Wilson and Kanye West are getting. Tough being a jackass huh?
There's no comparison between the two situations, but when you are vetted by the Tea Party and the rabid republicans, I can see how you could get things confused.
For the record, not "all conservative nor moderate republicans are bad. I have many friends who are republicans and although i do not agree with most of their views, they still are great human beings.
But these rabid folks spewing hate and anti anything black, they need some social re-programming. "They walk among us".
Comparing Obama's slam of Kanye West to Joe Wilson's outburst is a sign of weak thinking by a weak mind.
They were not the same. One happened in a formal setting with clear rules for behavior. The other was not.
What's worse? Joe Wilson telling NoBama "You Lie!" on the House floor? Or NoBama on the House floor and Lying to the American people as he has done since day 1 of taking the Oath of Office to PROTECT and DEFEND the Constitution of the United States? All 57 of them? (oops, sorry, we only have 57 per NoBama.) All 50 States?
No Jim V., YOU are ignorant! Nobody agreed with Kayne or Serena and Mr. Obama's comments, even though everybody agrees with him, were supposed to be off the record. There is a time and a place for everything and Mr. Wilson was rude, plain and simple. Oh and of course Mr. Obama has an opinion about everything. We all do, you idiot!!!
Get back to work, people! This is not a story...it's a waste of time and energy.
First, BHO should NOT back down! He is right, West was a jackass.
So, if I understand correctly, ABC staffers were listening on an CNBC interview. The president was talking off the record with the reporter (and we all know it was off the record), CNBC would never have posted the comment.
The ABC staffer stated "Now THAT’S presidential.", no, actually, we was not being presidential, he is a human, at that was a human reaction. He was having a conversation, not as a president, as a human.
The ABC staffers should be fired.
The President was asked a question when the cameras weren't rolling – probably idle chatter like "how about that Kanye thing?". So first off, the fact that your every word isn't going from Twitter to CNN is largely because nobody cares – the POTUS does not enjoy that luxury. This is just a new wrinkle in the information age. He shouldn't have to watch every word he says just because of what building he's in, but he might.
Secondly – cameras not rolling when you're on site for an interview – that's once thing. Interrupting a presidential address to yell "You lie" is another. I know a lot of people say "but he did lie" – which is highly debateable, I say while there are provisions in the bill right now to allow illegals to buy into coverage, and the status quo does have us paying for the uninsured via tax money, there is no language introduced in any Democratic legislation to date which introduces new forms of coverage for illegals – quite the opposite, it gives them options that allow them to pay for their own care where no option exists today.
The only option the Republicans have on the table for illegals is to enforce that illegals get turned away from all US hospitals for any reason – which is flat out evil. YOU look someone eminently treatable who is bleeding out in the eye and tell him he should have stayed in Mexico, Mr. Boehner. I can tell you what, that's not on the WWJD list. A nice little straw man, great talking point to rally the base, but just that – because of course the Dems would never touch that.
NOTHING being put forth by any Republican (except maybe Olympia Snowe) that wasn't drafted well before this whole ordeal has even a whiff of the "would a Dem ever pass this?" smell test.
It's time to get real, Republicans. You are the minority party, and you need to deal with it. Either consider the Democratic majority or get used to being the party viewed as "does nothing real, just there to vote no".
It's not that Joe Wilson's comment per se was wrong, it's that the forum he used in which to express it was wrong.
I mean, don't get me wrong... precedents are probably set all the time for certain things and certainly in our 200+ year history, a precedent was eventually going to be set.
So congratulations to Rep. Wilson for setting the precedent.
Did people call President Bush names, "liar" amongst them? Yes
The difference is they didn't do it on the floor of the House of Representatives during a Congressional Address. What Rep. Joe Wilson did can be equated with those that refuse to listen to a police officer, like Prof. Gates. When I child is disruptive in class he gets in trouble. Eventually, his parents will be called and possibly expelled. Respect the office (teacher, judge, parents, President), even if you don't respect the person.
As Americans we have designated certain places sacrosanct: classrooms, courtrooms, dinner tables and the floor of the House of Representatives.
I want to know if you think Rep. Wilson is to be commended for his outburst, do you allow that from your children? Because if you do, homeschool them. I don't want your values interrupting anyones education, specially my child's. If you don't allow that, I don't want your hypocrasy influencing them.
I thought the President was polite. I called Kanye a lot worse than that. I think Obama was pretty civil in his response. Good job Mr. President!
Calling Kayne a Jackass was the smartest statement the pres has made all year, honest , to the point and correct!!!
President Obama was right. But as far as Twitter goes, I absolutely hate it because people update the most trivial crap.
I think you have to be really narcistic to use it.
Kanye is a jackass. This is not news.
What's thea big deal; everyone knows that there really isn't an off the record anymore. Obama was wired with a mic anything he said could be heard, he's not a novice to the interview world. There was no outrage in the form of a level of concern about Reagan when he made what was meant to be a joke about sending the bombers to Russia over a live mic.
It's simple, Obama was correct in his statement, the only ones insulted are the donkey's. Or was Obama just saying that Kayne was a Democrat?
jim vicalvi you are ignorant as you obiviously dont know why Joe Wilson was wrong for what he did. He violated the rules of the house!
Finally....something me and the pres agree on 100%.
Terry Moran should be stripped of his journalistic credentials for being a "jackass," himself. It is highly unprofessional to reveal information that is off the record, and then to editorialize on it, as well, compounds the situation. I am glad that ABC News doesn't sanction his actions, but as with most things these days, apologies are always too little, too late.
There are two big reasons we should cut the President of the United States some slack, here:
1) Unlike Serena, Kanye and the good Jim Wilson, this was done off-camera and (comparatively) private.
2) The President was right.
I certainly do not want to be invited to some these bloggers' homes. It would be rude and insulting if they shout out "You lie" to a guest while they are having a meaningful discussion. Where has cordial discourse and common civility gone??
I think it degenerated during the McCain/ Palin campaign rallies.
Jim,
I disagree, Obama made a comment in a side conversation and eevn joked how this would be a big deal. Serena williams outburst was during her match and she suffered because of it. Joe Wilson expressed himself outloud calling the President a liar during his prime time speech.If anything Kanye and Joe share something .... and you know what that is both are loud mouths and should keep shut.
It appears that the President has now learned the same lesson that Newt Gingrich's mother learned with Connie Chung. In the day of the 24hr news cycle, NOTHING is off the record!
Wow.... Yes Kanye made a jackass move but it is Kanye. Overall I feel that Taylor Swift may need to thank Kanye for his stunt. Just watch her record sales over the next 2 months they are going to sky rocket. So one millionaire just help other become a millionaire.
Amazing... the president does not get to use his first amendment rights – but we can call him all sorts of names, display various rude and ignorant effigies of him, call him a liar, and that is supposed to be all right.
I think "jackass" was the exact word I used when I saw the Swift speech. Obama just got my vote for 4 more years!
The real jackass is Terry Moran of ABC for violating the confidentialty customarily provided to pre-interview banter. All professional journalists know this is off the record. Good luck Terry on getting any interviews from White House officials. You have violated the number one rule of ethics in journalism (oxymoron?). But who provided the audio feed to TMZ? ABC or CNBC?
If it was George Bush who gave the comment, tweets would not be off limits and this wouldnt even be an issue... Everybody loves Obama.. If you say anything its open game... like this post here
Jim V... look in the mirror for the trait that you are trying to pin on everyone except 'your team' player wilson.
I think it is great that Obama is a real person with off the shoulder comments on everything from politics to the VMA's. Apparently we as a country are not used to someone being so hip after 8 years with Bush on board. Why do people always expect that a prez should be watchful of things he says about something that insignificant. I can understand people being thrown off by it, but come on people.... Kanye was a "jackass" for doing what he did. Obama didnt come on air shouting it to the roof tops. He was being a real person and was making small talk with someone off camera and the ABC idiot that should have been working rather than "tweeting" should be in trouble for the breach not the pres. He is a real person aside from being the pres and people shouldnt give him hell everytime he says something real. Hey if it were Bush, I doubt he would even know how to say "Kanye" or "Jackass" at all.
O.K. I like the comment Kanye is a Jack.... do we make it politically correct? Can you say DONKEY?
I say Kanye needs rehab!
Sorry, kids – you want to lead MY country, you have NO private moments for 4 years. Comes with the job. Suck it up.
Besides, it's refreshing to see the true colors emerge.
The difference, Jim, is that Obama made that statement in a casual environment, off the record. Just because he's the president doesn't mean he can't have an opinion like everyone else.
Joe Wilson, on the other hand, screamed his opinion out in the middle of a session of Congress. You can't possible say that those two situations are the same.
And explain to me, please, how what Kanye and Serena Williams did has been deemed as "just fine". Kanye has been publicly lambasted by everyone in the music industry and elsewhere. He was kicked out of the VMA's and was called out on national television by Jay Leno.
Serena has been torn apart for her remarks, with videos of her circulating all over YouTube and ESPN. Not to mention, she has received a $10,000 fine from the U.S. Open for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Now how exactly does all of that translate to "they're all getting off easy"?
The President was right, and that is being nice on his part to just say that, I personnally would of said alot worse then that, look at what that idiot did, completely embarassed her on stage getting a once in a life time for her, and stamped on her limelight, like it was a joke, he ought to be banned from all events like this, he is still laughing and now starting to cry now. well he ought of been like a man before he pulled this child stunt he did, loose all kinds of endorsements because of it, and rightfully so. he was a disgrace, and jump off a short pier, it wouldn,t bother be one bit, too many other jerks to worry about.
Jim writes "Obama, kahne and serena can all express their opinions and everything is just fine. But, Joe Wilson expresses his and immediately he is wrong. But, then, we all know what the first 3 share. IGNORANCE!!
Seriously, Jim? Have you noticed the outrage at Kanye and Serena? The issue is where/when/how people choose to share their opinions. And clearly, interrupting someone's acceptance speech, screaming at an official when you are a competitor, and interrupting a speech to the Joint Congress are NOT appropriate venues/times/methods. It's fine if Wilson thinks Obama lied, but he needed to exercise self-control in that situation. Obama was asked his opinion in an off-the-record conversation and he gave it. Someone didn't respect the rules of that conversation and posted his comments. Period.
Knight Think about what you type before you sound redic. They asked for his opinion and he gave it.... He was not going out of his way to make a comment about it... do you not have better things to do than trash him on CNN.com
Grow up Jackass
To all the people who think Obama gave up the right to express his off-the-record opinions and have off-the-record-conversations, for every waking minute for the 4 (probably 8 actually) years of his presidency: He did NOT.
While he should be extra careful if Republican/Neo-Con biased organizations like ABC and FOX are around, and expect them to violate the standards they upheld for Bush (can you name any off-the-record comments those two organizations reported Bush saying during his 8 years in office - no, you can't.), he still gets to be a human being, and communicate with other human beings in a non-stuff-shirt and relaxed manner when he's not officially speaking or directly addressing the press. It comes with the office too, along with those nifty guys in black shades wearing ear-pieces and the ability to address congress uninterrupted.
Big difference between Obama's instance and the others. Yes, people have right to express opinions, but Kanye, Serena, and Joe Wilson did it in public when they knew people were watching, and in a manner inappropriate to the situation.
Sounds like Obama's was off the record. Just overheard by others who publicized it.
Was Wilson's "You Lie!" comment off the record? If he thought so, then that demonstrates quite a bit of IGNORANCE!! If he knew that it was on the record, then that demonstrates he was doing something he knew was inappropriate. Either way, not good.
Let's go back to our American roots. U.S. politicians need to begin dueling to the death AGAIN – just like VP Burr and Alexander Hamilton. May the best politician, err shooter, win.
One didn't like what the other said so there was a duel. Burr shot straight up into the air and Alexander Hamilton shot Burr straight in the chest, killing him.
criticizing the reporter's tweet is ridiculous! news is news. we elect a perfect smile and speech. behind all of that is a real person. a person that laughs and lies, a person that hurts and loves. if we cannot handle being led by real people, then we need to move to a place where the press is censored and only Disney quality fantasies make their way to the front pages.
In this case the president was right...(note to self, "did I really just say that?") In that moment, Kanye was a "jackass" and he admitted that.
People and networks that have issues with this tweet being published or Joe Wilson's comments need to spend 5 minutes looking at the rest of the world. British Parliament is a lot of fun.
I would HATE to imagine an America where a network executive is taking pains to mold and shape how I see the President...oops, too late.
There are very few things I agree with the President on, but this one is a definite "common ground" for us. Kanye West IS a jackass, and I'm proud our President was man enough (whether on the record or not) to recognize it!
Off the record, use to mean just that. No longer as the standards of journalism fall to new lows. What has happened to us? It's turned into anything goes - journalists, politicians, cable commentators - lies and half-truths all over the place. A sense of decency has disappeared and I don't have a clue where it's gone.
The interesting point behind both discussions that is completely ignored is the intrusion of corporate policy into the lives of its employees. As professionals we are always "on the clock" with no overtime being paid for extra work. The effect of updating a businesses code of conduct to include personal statement via Twitter is to stifle individual opinions concerning “controversial topics”. Where does the company end and my personal life start?
Part of the discussion above can be summarized as follows:
“Pres. Obama just called Kanye West a ‘jackass’ for his outburst at the VMAs when Taylor Swift won. Now THAT’S presidential.”
. . .
“ABC News says it was wrong for that tweet to go out.”
. . .
“They are saying the threshold should be the same as if it was published on ABC.com”
Unfortunately there is no discussion on which part of the tweet did not meet ABC standards – the fact that Kayne West is a jackass, the fact that the President made the statement – the sarcasm of “Now THAT’S presidential”. What are ABC’s standards published so we can measure the context of the statement against them? Guaranteed they are not published, even internally to employees, so the standard remains subjective and un-definable.
The commentators have focused on the conformity of the individual to meet company expectations and not the content of the Tweet and whether or not it was in fact inappropriate. Seems to me they have skipped a step in the analysis and jumped to the presumption that the Tweet was inappropriate or that ABC should be controlling the information. The commentators should go to law school and learn how to critically analyze facts and avoid jumping to conclusions. Frankly I find it disturbing ABC news is attempting to so tightly control the information I receive about my President that they are reverting to strong arm tactics against their staff Tweets.
First, Obama was right in his opinion of Kanye(he needs to be knocked down a few notches). Second Obama, should not even have to be subject to a question of no importance or has no bearing on our government. Third, he shouldn't even have given a response. As always leave it up to the media to ask stupid questions just to get an off handed remark that can become big news. Who cares..............
Yes, this was a racially motivated comment. All comments about people everywhere are racially motivated.
Aren't we all part of the Human Race.
Well most of us are except for politicians!
President Obama should have learned by now that there are no 'off-the-record' comments. Each of our previous presidents (Bush, Reagan, et-al) learned the hard way that the microphone is never off.