Social Media Help 4 U

Supporting Change-Makers, Soulpreneurs, and Conscious Business Owners.

  • Blog
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Shop
    • Books
  • Work With Carol Lawrence (OBM)
    • Recommendations
    • Web Design Services
  • Blog
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Shop
    • Books
  • Work With Carol Lawrence (OBM)
    • Recommendations
    • Web Design Services

The Washington Post Institutes Controversial New Social Media “Gag” Rule

0
Share

Guest Post By Kelsey Rausch

It’s no secret that business and social media have an increasingly complex relationship. Despite the fact that about 41% of local businesses depend on social media networks to drive revenue, many businesses also depend on their employees to manage their personal social media accounts with professionalism.

That’s seemingly the fundamental principal that comes into play with The Washington Post‘s new social media policy, which prohibits its employees from any social media conduct that “adversely affects The Post’s customers, advertisers, subscribers, vendors, suppliers or partners,” according to The Washingtonian.

The policy elicited a less-than-enthusiastic response from The Post‘s Guild, which sent out a bulletin last Sunday stating its protest.

“If you’re like most of us, you probably acknowledged its receipt without reading it…But what you don’t know could hurt you,” wrote Guild co-chair Frederick Kunkle.

Implemented on May 1, the new policy is centered around three key principles. First, employees are refrained from “disparaging the products and services of The Post’s advertisers, subscribers, competitors, business partners, or vendors.”

There’s also a clause prohibiting employees from using social media while on company time unless its use “is an authorized part of your job.”

Perhaps the most troublesome part of The Post‘s new policy, however, involves the encouragement of employees to serve as whistleblowers for those who may be violating it.

“If you have any reason to believe that an employee may be in violation of The Post’s Social Media Policy … you should contact The Post’s Human Resources Department,” it says.

For many, this policy may be hard to follow. According to IBM, more than 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are generated each day, much of it coming from social media posts and content. Social media is even starting to serve as one of the public’s main news sources: the most recent statistics on the subject cite that nearly two thirds of adults get their news from major social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

There’s also the issue of employee satisfaction. About 72% of actively engaged employees believe that they can have a positive impact on customer service at their companies, but many supervisors connect social media use on the job with employee disengagement as opposed to active engagement. Still, many would argue that strict corporate policies such as this one can easily have a negative impact on overall employee morale and satisfaction.

It’s also plausible that the policy came after a journalist at the Denver Post was fired for posting a racist tweet. Post employees received an email written by managing editor Tracy Grant. The email was meant to serve as “an opportunity to remind people of their obligations under the newsroom’s social media policy.”

However, the Washington Post is far from the first news outlet to enact a social media policy. A former social media policy from the Los Angeles Times restricts employees from being able to “write or post anything that would embarrass the LAT or compromise your ability to do your job.” In a similar vein, the New York Times‘ simply say to their employees that “your online behavior should be appropriate for a Times journalist.”

Ultimately, as social media begins to become more widespread, news outlets and their journalists will have to determine a happy medium regarding its use. But for now, the Guild is trying to remove the highlighted parts of the Washington Post‘s new policy. Even though it doesn’t explicitly cite any repercussions for violations, Kunkle argues that they’re heavily implied.

[The policy] “assures us that no one would get in trouble for such social media activity,” Kunkle wrote, “but that’s the way the policy is written.”

Kelsey Rausch is a writer and an avid world traveler. When she’s not writing or listening to 80s music, you can find her exploring different countries, taking selfies with her dog Lady, and in constant search for the perfect brownie recipe.

Adults get their news from Facebook and Twitter, Employee guidelines for social media use, Social media, the washington post
Previous Post
Next Post

Recent Posts

The Complete Guide to Writing Your Self-Help Book with AI: 10 Steps from Concept to Published Manuscript
June 25, 2025

If you’ve ever dreamed of writing a self-help book but felt overwhelmed by the blank...

Showcasing powerful AI tools, their practical applications, and how businesses can leverage them for success.
Ai Spotlight – Showcasing Powerful AI Tools, Their Practical Applications, and How Businesses Can Leverage Them For Success. (Claudeai)
April 1, 2025

AI Spotlight - Showcasing powerful AI tools, their practical applications, and how businesses can leverage...

time strapped leaders
Why Successful CEOs Need an Online Business Manager: A Game-Changer for Time-Strapped Leaders
December 10, 2024

As a successful CEO, Leader, or Successful Coach, you've built something remarkable. Your business is...

5 Signs You Are Ready To Hire An Online Business Manager (OBM)
5 Signs You Are Ready To Hire An Online Business Manager (OBM)
April 30, 2024

How do you effectively manage a team, delegate tasks, and still have time for strategic...

AI Spotlight Superhuman
Ai Spotlight – Superhuman AI For Gmail and Outlook Team Management
April 8, 2025

AI Spotlight - Discover how Superhuman AI for Gmail and Outlook is revolutionizing email management...

I asked three ai assistants for twenty jobs ai won't replace
I Asked Three AI Assistants To Tell Me The Top 20 Jobs AI Can’t Replace. Here Are My Results.
December 19, 2024

I asked three Ai assistants to list twenty jobs AI won't replace. While there is...

where to hire a freelancer now
The Unseen Power of Freelancers: A Deep Dive into Their Benefits And Where To Hire Them
September 29, 2024

Hiring a full-time employee can take weeks or even months, from crafting the perfect job...

Klipfolio dashboards with Carol Lawrence
Have All Your Metrics Funneled Into One Metric Dashboard
July 9, 2024

Attention Busy CEOs! Are you having to log in and track your metrics from a...

Building Your Online Business Dream Team: Understanding Key Roles and Their Impact on Growth
May 28, 2024

Let's take a deep dive into the various roles in the world of online business,...

Your Success Is Up To You!

Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.”

— Chris Grosser

Recent Posts

  • The Complete Guide to Writing Your Self-Help Book with AI: 10 Steps from Concept to Published Manuscript
  • Ai Spotlight – Superhuman AI For Gmail and Outlook Team Management
  • Ai Spotlight – Showcasing Powerful AI Tools, Their Practical Applications, and How Businesses Can Leverage Them For Success. (Claudeai)
  • I Asked Three AI Assistants To Tell Me The Top 20 Jobs AI Can’t Replace. Here Are My Results.
  • Why Successful CEOs Need an Online Business Manager: A Game-Changer for Time-Strapped Leaders
  • The Unseen Power of Freelancers: A Deep Dive into Their Benefits And Where To Hire Them
  • Have All Your Metrics Funneled Into One Metric Dashboard
  • Building Your Online Business Dream Team: Understanding Key Roles and Their Impact on Growth
  • Leverage Your Business With An OBM
  • 5 Signs You Are Ready To Hire An Online Business Manager (OBM)

Archives

Categories

Testimonials

Carol’s in depth knowledge of social media, marketing and reaching my potential customer base was/is invaluable.  She was patient and extremely kind in helping…

Author Mikel Parry

Carol is a hard-working and very enterprising individual. She has a very strong sense for social media and how to promote herself or anyone…

Grace Hodgin, Owner, Blessed Elements

I needed someone to help me resolve a Facebook issue and am delighted to have found Carol at Social Media Help 4 U. She…

Laura – Pepper Jack Interiors

Carol is a highly astute professional with a warm, compassionate heart. She believes in bringing like-minded people together in a community of spirited Oneness….

Testimonial From Author Dr. Shefali Tsabary

Carol and her company, Social Media Help 4U, has been working with us and our two websites for about 9 months. We have two…

Online Retail Stores Owner Don Henderson

Start Your Free Trial Today!

Let’s Stay Connected

© 2025 Social Media Help 4 U

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Verified by MonsterInsights