Ohio TV Station Staff Fired, Reportedly For Playing Cards Against Humanity
By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Jan 15, 2016 6:28PM
This isn't suitable for all workplaces, I suppose (Photo by Kristin Brenemen via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
Cards Against Humanity, the homegrown card game that gleefully flouts good taste, may have led to several staffers at a Toledo station losing their jobs.
Details are sketchy and reports are unconfirmed but the Toledo Blade says that at least seven employees at WTOL—including two anchors and one meteorologist—were canned for playing Cards Against Humanity over the New Year's weekend. (As anyone who works in news biz knows, that time of year tends to be a dead zone for anything but crime stories.)
None of the employees have commented on the record, but The Blade notes that job advertisements for two anchors, one meteorologist, a news producer, and three content specialists were listed recently. The station offered up a comment:
"WTOL takes seriously its employment policies and our obligation to provide an environment in which all employees are treated with respect and dignity. As a result, WTOL had to take personnel actions this week related to several employees. Due to personnel matters being involved, we cannot comment further."
The rumors are unconfirmed, and there might be more to the story. That being said, a lot of the cards in the decks are decidedly not safe for work, particularly at companies with strict anti-harassment policies. That's part of the joke—which not everyone appreciates. Cards Against Humanity has retired cards that they later decided crossed the line. Still, it's become a go-to party game for chill nights in:
Kanye, @officialjaden and @justinbieber playing Cards Against Humanity together looks lit: https://t.co/2PEWArPIGx pic.twitter.com/W7JI8aAxeI
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) January 8, 2016What exactly happened at WTOL, however, some of the staffers named as being fired have said their goodbyes on Twitter:
All I can say is THANK YOU. I've been so blessed to be your meteorologist for the past 4+years. For now, I'm Kimberly Newman, signing off xo
— Kimberly Newman (@KimberlyWXtv) January 13, 2016Former WTOL news anchor Ali Bradley's tweet says a lot without saying much at all:
... pic.twitter.com/nWihXeAzsU
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) January 15, 2016