The bigger story beyond Sherrod

A couple of folks have asked me what I think of the Shirley Sherrod situation. The former USDA employee was fired for making what seemed to be racist statements in an old speech captured on videotape. As it turned out, the comments appear to have been taken out of context and Sherrod has since received apologies from almost everyone involved in the rush-to-judgment, including President Obama. The USDA is even offering to rehire Sherrod.

A lot of things about this story don't surprise me, which is part of the reason why I haven't felt compelled to comment on it until now. Journalistic standards, which played a role in this debacle, have been declining for years and are currently hitting what I hope is rock bottom. Misinterpreting comments/data is one of the pitfalls of today's reporting. As the online rush and economic climate have created less experienced newsrooms, quality control has nosedived. The gatekeepers in many newsrooms have gone extinct. It is also obvious that certain media outlets have an agenda and have lost the ability to be objective and thorough, particularly when it concerns race and politics. I haven't heard any apologies from Fox News regarding how some of their commentators prematurely spun the condensed Sherrod video.

Beyond the media's role in fueling the fire in this case, there is another problem. It has become so common for employees to be unfairly fired or laid off that I am not sure what all the hoopla is about in the Sherrod incident, especially considering all the other important news that should take precedence over this story. To my way of thinking, the bigger story goes beyond Sherrod. The story should be about the American workplace and the relationships between employers and employees, covering the full spectrum of why and how so many people were laid off in the recession, why jobs aren't coming back and the trends that are eroding basic trust and productivity.

Employees have been fired and laid off for unjust reasons for a long time. Some can't even find work or get promoted for reasons such as race or age discrimination. Depending on where you work or want to work, you can either be too young, too old, too white or too black. The recession has led some companies to get rid of workers based on "last hired, first fired" or other seemingly random criteria or false perceptions. From all the media coverage over this one unfair workplace dismal, you would think the Sherrod firing is a new phenomenon.

So the Sherrod story in and of itself doesn't motivate me that much to watch 24-hour coverage of it on CNN, MSNBC or Fox. If it shines light on what should be obvious to everyone by now, then fine.

The only unusual aspect of the Sherrod case is that she was actually offered an apology and a new job. Most people who are let go from jobs because they were misunderstood, didn't smile enough, or simply spoke their minds too often aren't given apologies, let alone hired back. Sherrod will prosper from being victimized. She will land on her feet in better shape, which is more than can be said for others who have faced similar situations but received no media coverage.