Prank Photo at Tomb of Unknowns Raises Free Speech Questions

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Prank Photo at Tomb of Unknowns Raises Free Speech Questions

Postby admin » Wed Feb 25, 2015 3:07 am

PRANK PHOTO AT TOMB OF UNKNOWNS RAISES FREE SPEECH QUESTIONS
by Susanna Kim

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November 21, 2012

Image
While visiting Arlington National Cemetery, Lindsey Stone snapped a photo of herself flipping it off and pretending to make noise in front of a Tomb of an Unknown Soldier.

Lindsey Stone, a non-profit employee in Massachusetts, posted a photo on her Facebook page she claims she meant as a joke among friends. Little did she know that thousands of people would be offended by her pose in front of the Tomb of the Unknowns, even creating a Facebook page called, "Fire Lindsey Stone."

And sure enough when her employer found out, she was put on unpaid leave pending an internal investigation.

Stone's photo shows her flipping off a sign and appearing to shout at the tomb in Washington, D.C., that asks for "Silence and Respect" at the Arlington National Cemetery. Stone and her co-workers were on a work trip last month when the photo was taken.

After people posted comments critical of Stone, she posted: "Whoa whoa whoa... wait. This is just us, being the douchebags that we are, challenging authority in general. Much like the pic posted the night before, of me smoking right next to a no smoking sign. OBVIOUSLY we meant NO disrespect to people that serve or have served our country."

Stone, who is around 30-years-old, could not be reached for comment.

Over 18,000 people have "liked" the "Fire Lindsey Stone" Facebook page, which was created earlier this week.

The National Labor Relations Board has issued two recent rulings saying a company's social media policy can be "overly broad" but also stating that social media postings are not protected under federal labor law.

Robert Johnson, army veteran and military and defense editor at news site, Business Insider, wrote an op-ed, saying he felt "compelled to defend her."

"More importantly, if Lindsey Stone wants to rip on the Tomb of the Unknowns, me, my service, or the hundreds of mutilated troops I served with at Walter Reed Medical Center, she should be able to do so without fear of retribution," Johnson wrote. "Freedom like that is what we fought for, and respecting other opinions is part of what the military tried to teach all of us who served."

Stone and another employee issued an apology on Wednesday, saying, "We sincerely apologize for all the pain we have caused by posting the picture we took in Washington DC on Facebook. While posted on a public forum, the picture was intended only for our own amusement. We never meant any disrespect to any of the people nationwide who have served this country and defended our freedom so valiantly. It was meant merely as a visual pun, intending to depict the exact opposite of what the sign said, and had absolutely nothing to do with the location it was taken or the people represented there."

On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for her employer, LIFE, Inc., which stands for Living Independently Forever, said Stone is still on unpaid leave, pending an investigation. The non-profit stands by a statement issued this week:

"On Nov. 19 at approximately 6 p.m., we became aware that one of our employees had posted an offensive, inappropriate photograph on her personal Facebook page. The photo was taken at a national historic site in October by a fellow employee during a trip to Washington, D.C. attended by 40 residents and eight staff. The photo has since been removed from Facebook, and both employees have been placed on unpaid leave pending the results of an internal investigation."

"This photograph in no way reflects the opinions or values of the LIFE organization, which holds our nation's veterans in the highest regard. We are proud to have veterans serving on our staff and board of trustees, and we value their service. The men and women who have selflessly fought and sacrificed their lives to protect the rights and lives of Americans deserve our utmost respect and gratitude. We are acutely aware that this photo has done a grave disservice to veterans and we are deeply saddened that it was taken and shared in a public medium."
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Re: Prank Photo at Tomb of Unknowns Raises Free Speech Quest

Postby admin » Wed Feb 25, 2015 3:08 am

Happy Now?: 'Good Employee' Lindsey Stone Fired Over Facebook Photo
by Neetzan Zimmerman

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YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


11/22/12

Image

An earnest, yet ultimately toothless last-ditch effort to save Lindsey Stone from termination proved no match for the thousands clamoring for her head.

The 30-year-old Massachusetts native, who gained overnight infamy for posting a Facebook photo of herself mock-disrespecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier while on a work-related trip to Arlington National Cemetery, was unceremoniously fired by her employer yesterday after it was reportedly inundated with angry emails and calls.

LIFE (Living Independent Forever), a Cape Cod-based nonprofit organization that assists adults with learning disabilities, released the following statement on its own Facebook page:

We wish to announce that the two employees recently involved in the Arlington Cemetery incident are no longer employees of LIFE. Again, we deeply regret any disrespect to members of the military and their families. The incident and publicity has been very upsetting to the learning disabled population we serve. To protect our residents, any comments, however well-intentioned, will be deleted. We appreciate your concern and understanding as we focus on the care of our community.


Speaking with a local Fox affiliate, LIFE director Diane Enochs said Stone had been with the group for 18 months, and was a "good employee."

Stone and fired co-worker Jamie Schuh, her now-former supervisor and the person who snapped the photo, released their own joint statement, apologizing again for the gag:

We never meant any disrespect to any of the people nationwide who have served this country and defended our freedom so valiantly.


Meanwhile, the question posed in the initial post still lingers: Should Stone be made to suffer potential unemployability for a bad joke posted on her personal, private Facebook page? For many, it seems, the answer is, without question, a resounding yes.

Not only did over 30,000 voluntarily join a group devoted to her firing (now deleted), but a further 3,000 signed a petition demanding the same.

"She's devastated," Stone's father told the Boston Herald. And her future might be, too.
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Re: Prank Photo at Tomb of Unknowns Raises Free Speech Quest

Postby admin » Wed Feb 25, 2015 3:09 am

Company praised for firing woman who took disrespectful photo next to soldier's grave
Lindsey Stone, 30, was fired for the controversial photo, but critics won't relent. A 'Set Fire to Lindsey Stone' Facebook group was created, where users called for the 30-year-old to be shot or exiled.
by Rheana Murra
New York Daily News

NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


November 22, 2012

Image

Lindsey Stone was fired from her job over this Facebook photo.

A Massachusetts company is being applauded for firing a woman who made a vulgar gesture next to a soldier’s burial site, sparking nationwide outrage.

LIFE, a Cape Cod-based nonprofit that helps adults with disabilities, announced on Wednesday that 30-year-old Lindsey Stone was taken off unpaid leave and terminated.

STONE'S FACEBOOK PHOTO SPARKS OUTRAGE

Nearly 4,000 people “liked” the announcement on Facebook.

“This was the right thing to do,” one commenter wrote.

“Good for LIFE,” wrote another. “At least they care about their reputation and how employees handle themselves.”

Stone was slammed for posting a Facebook photo of herself giving the middle finger and pretending to scream next to a sign asking for “Silence & Respect,” at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery.

A coworker who took the viral snapshot was also fired, LIFE said.

“Again, we deeply regret any disrespect to members of the military and their families,” the company said in a statement. “The incident and publicity have been very upsetting to the learning disabled population we serve.”

Vitriol toward Stone hasn’t relented since she lost her job.

After a “Fire Lindsey Stone” Facebook group was started, a “Set Fire to Lindsey Stone” group was also created.

Commenters suggested “she should be shot” or exiled from the United States.

Few came to Stone’s defense and accepted her explanation that the photo — while inappropriate — was simply a poor joke.

Stone, who issued a statement of apology, has refused to show her face since the backlash, her parents told CBS Boston.

rmurray@nydailynews.com
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