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[return to "A Letter on Justice and Open Debate"]
1. tomjak+Nx[view] [source] 2020-07-07 17:10:55
>>tosh+(OP)
Firing people for expressing "distasteful" views publicly is nothing new. In 2003, MSNBC fired the host of their most popular program, Phil Donahue, for expressing his opposition to the Iraq War.

> An internal MSNBC memo warned Donahue was a “difficult public face for NBC in a time of war,” providing “a home for the liberal antiwar agenda at the same time that our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity.”

Fortunately for Phil, he was well-off and probably wasn't relying on the income.

With at-will employment, companies have enormous leverage over their workers' freedom of expression and it's disappointing to see this letter with some ostensibly "left" signatures attached leave that consideration untouched.

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2. SpicyL+Yz[view] [source] 2020-07-07 17:20:16
>>tomjak+Nx
I'm very on board with ending at-will employment, but it would only address a small subset of the issues they're describing. Employment protections won't prevent books from being withdrawn, journalists and professors from being censured, or leaders from being forced to resign.
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