Delta Accused of Bias Against Black Female Doctor

A sick passenger needed attention on a Delta flight from Detroit to Houston, and a doctor stepped up to help. But, according to Dr. Tamika Cross, her help wasn't appreciated. A flight attendant questioned her credentials, saying, "Oh no, sweetie. Put your hand down. We are looking for actual physicians or nurses or some type of medical personnel. We don't have time to talk to you."

Cross, an African-American, said she continued trying to help and rang her attendant bell when flight staff asked, again, if someone on the plane was a medical doctor. But the attendant questioned her: "Oh, wow, you're an actual physician?' I reply yes. She said, 'Let me see your credentials. What type of doctor are you? Where do you work? Why were you in Detroit?'

Meanwhile, a White man stood up, and the flight attendant seemed to accept his help without question, according to Cross:

"She says to me, 'Thanks for your help but he can help us, and he has his credentials.' Mind you, he hasn't shown anything to her. Just showed up and fit the 'description of a doctor.' I stay seated."

At some point, the flight attendant may have realized her mistake; Cross wrote on her Facebook post, "She came and apologized to me several times and offering me skymiles. I kindly refused."

Delta issued an apology on its website that included a different explanation of what transpired. The company says the investigation is ongoing, but we see an explanation and their practice:

"Three medical professionals identified themselves on the flight in question. Only one was able to produce documentation of medical training and that is the doctor who was asked to assist the customer onboard. In addition, paramedics met the flight to assist the customer further.

"Flight attendants are trained to collect information from medical volunteers offering to assist with an onboard medical emergency. When an individual's medical identification isn't available, they're instructed to ask questions such as where medical training was received or whether an individual has a business card or other documentation and ultimately to use their best judgment."

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• Google and other companies train employees about "unconscious bias." What does this mean, and could similar training help Delta employees?
• How do you assess Delta's statement? What are the communication objectives at this point, and did the company achieve them?
• Does Delta's explanation change your thinking about Cross's account of what happened? Why or why not?

Italy Can't Seem To Get "Fertility Day" Ads Right

Italy has stepped into another quagmire of controversy with its second "Fertility Day" ad. To encourage births, the first ad showed a woman with a timer, implying that her child-bearing days are numbered. The caption read, "Beauty has no age. But fertility does." People took offense: some felt it was insulting to people who had trouble conceiving; others felt it encouraged people to procreate regardless of their situation (e.g., no partner or job). The latter may particularly sting because Italy was a high youth unemployment rate: 35%.

The newest ad is deemed racist. Two white couples are featured at the top of a brochure photo, looking happy and healthy. Below this picture is a group of people, including a Black person, smoking marijuana.

Oddly, the bottom photo is similar to one used by Maricopa County Attorney's Office to discourage heroin use in Arizona.

Contrasting people of different races is never a good idea. In a public service announcement earlier this year, the American Red Cross was similarly criticized for showing White people behaving well and people as color behaving badly around a swimming pool.

At first, the Italian health ministry denied the criticism: "The photos represent a homogeneity of people, as is the multi-ethnic society in which we live. Racism is in the eye of the beholder." But the group has since come around: the pamphlet has been removed, as had the first ad.

Italy has the lowest birth rate in the EU, so having a campaign is understandable, but the approach isn't working.

Discussion Starters:

• What's your view of the ad? Do you find it offensive? Can you see how others might?
• Compose a different ad that might help Italy meet its fertility goals.

New Trouble for Christie on the Bridge Closings

After years of denying knowledge about wrongdoing, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may have a tough time maintaining his stance. In 2013, members of Christie's administration were accused of intentionally closing lanes on the George Washington Bridge to cause problems for the mayor of Fort Lee, who didn't support Christie's re-election. Christie denied the allegations for himself and his senior staff:

"I've made it very clear to everybody on my senior staff that if anyone had any knowledge about this that they needed to come forward to me and tell me about it, and they've all assured me that they don't."

But now the truth comes out: in court filings, text messages between two staffers, Christina Renna and Peter Sheridan, during Christie's news conference in 2013 have indicated otherwise, according to a Wall Street Journal report:

"Are you listening?" Ms. Renna texted Mr. Sheridan, according to the filing. "He just flat out lied about senior staff and [campaign manager Bill] Stepien not being involved."

"I'm listening," Mr. Sheridan replied. "Gov is doing fine. Holding his own up there."

According to the filing, Ms. Renna replied: "Yes. But he lied. And if emails are found with the subpoena or ccfg [Chris Christie for Governor] emails are uncovered in discovery if it comes to that it could be bad."

Mr. Christie, encountering reporters outside a Manhattan radio studio after a guest-host stint on a sports-talk program, called the text-message matter "ridiculous."

"There's nothing new to talk about," he said, according to a video of the exchange posted by the Associated Press. Asked about Ms. Renna's remark that he had lied, Mr. Christie said "yeah, and she was wrong."

Discussion Starters:

• Do you believe Christie's defense? Why or why not?
• Big picture: What is most relevant in this situation? Let's not lose perspective.
• Christie was making a run for president in the 2016 elections. Could this hurt his candidacy for 2020? Also, Trump didn't choose Christie as his running mate, although Christie expressed interest. To what extent do you think his decision was tied to this situation?

Airbnb Continues Working Towards Inclusion

Just as Twitter is battling harassment, Airbnb if facing its own demons: hosts who discriminate. A report published in September by Harvard researchers found that, as previously believed, hosts are less likely to accept reservations from guests who are African-American. Hosts are 16% less likely to rent to someone whose name sounds African-American, all else being equal.

In a detailed report, Airbnb outlined policies and practices the company will implement. The Economist highlights two of the changes, referring to the first as the "most visible" and the second as "perhaps the most meaningful": 

• Everyone signs a "community commitment" statement: "We believe that no matter who you are, where you are from, or where you travel, you should be able to belong in the Airbnb community. By joining this community, you commit to treat all fellow members of this community, regardless of race, religion, national origin, disability, sex, gender identity,
  sexual orientation or age, with respect, and without judgment or bias."
• If a host rejects a reservation, he or she will not be able to book the same nights with another guest. Airbnb also is starting an "Open Doors" program to help people who believe they were discriminated against find another place to stay.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky described these and more changes in an email to users:

Dear Airbnb community, At the heart of our mission is the idea that people are fundamentally good and every community is a place where you can belong. We don't say this because it sounds nice. It's the goal that everyone at Airbnb works towards every day – because we've all seen how when we live together, we better understand each other. Discrimination is the opposite of belonging, and its existence on our platform jeopardizes this core mission. Bias and discrimination have no place on Airbnb, and we have zero tolerance for them. Unfortunately, we have been slow to address these problems, and for this I am sorry. I take responsibility for any pain or frustration this has caused members of our community. We will not only make this right; we will work to set an example that other companies can follow. In June, we asked Laura Murphy, the former head of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington D.C. Legislative Office, to review every aspect of the Airbnb platform, and to make sure that we're doing everything we can to fight bias and discrimination. Thanks to Laura's leadership, today we're releasing a report that outlines the results of that process. You can read the full report here, but I'd like to highlight four changes that will impact the way our platform works: Airbnb Community Commitment Beginning November 1, everyone who uses Airbnb must agree to a stronger, more detailed nondiscrimination policy. We aren't just asking you to check a box associated with a long legal document. We're asking everyone to agree to something we're calling the Airbnb Community Commitment, which says: We believe that no matter who you are, where you are from, or where you travel, you should be able to belong in the Airbnb community. By joining this community, you commit to treat all fellow members of this community, regardless of race, religion, national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or age, with respect, and without judgment or bias. Open Doors We'll be implementing a new policy called Open Doors. Starting October 1st, if a Guest anywhere in the world feels like they have been discriminated against in violation of our policy – in trying to book a listing, having a booking canceled, or in any other interaction with a host – we will find that Guest a similar place to stay if one is available on Airbnb, or if not, we will find them an alternative accommodation elsewhere. This program will also apply retroactively to any Guest who reported discrimination prior to today. All of these Guests will be offered booking assistance for their next trip. Instant Book We'll increase the availability of Instant Book, which allows our hosts to offer their homes to be booked immediately without their prior approval of a specific guest. Instant Book makes booking easier for everyone, and our goal is to have 1 million listings bookable via Instant Book by January 1st, 2017. Anti-bias training We are working with experts on bias, including Dr. Robert Livingston of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Dr. Peter Glick of Lawrence University, to make anti-bias training available to our community, and will be publicly acknowledging those who complete it. These steps are just the beginning, not the end, of our efforts to combat bias and discrimination. While we as a company have been slow on this issue, I am now asking you the community to help us lead the way forward. Every time you make someone else feel like they belong, that person feels accepted and safe to be themselves. While this may sound like a small act of kindness, we are a community of millions of people strong. Imagine what we can do together. Brian Chesky CEO, Co-founder  Sent with ♥ from Airbnb ‌A‌i‌r‌b‌n‌b‌,‌ ‌I‌n‌c‌.‌,‌ ‌8‌8‌8‌ ‌B‌r‌a‌n‌n‌a‌n‌ ‌S‌t‌,‌ ‌S‌a‌n‌ ‌F‌r‌a‌n‌c‌i‌s‌c‌o‌,‌ ‌C‌A‌ ‌9‌4‌1‌0‌3‌

Discussion Starters:

• How well do you think Airbnb's initiatives will solve the problem of discrimination on its site? What else could the company do? Some advised that they remove profiles and use pseudonyms. What do you think?
• Assess Brian Chesky's email. Describe the components of the writing process he likely followed.

British Airways Apologizes for Delays

Computer issues plagued Delta recently, and now British Airways is feeling the pain. Tens of thousands of customers have been delayed while checking in, dropping off luggage, and waiting to take off. Frequent fliers may remember similar delays in July, when the airline was upgrading its check-in system. This time, an IT issue shut down some systems, causing staff to hand write boarding passes.

The airline apologized for the delays, admitting that processes have been "taking longer than usual": "We are sorry for the delay to their journeys." Although passengers were actively complaining on Twitter, the company had little to say online. The Twitter page has only one reference to the delays-after the issues were resolved.

But some customers did receive a letter, posted in an NBC article.

 

Discussion Starters:

• Assess the letter to customers. What principles of letter writing and bad-news messages does the airline follow in this communication? What would improve the letter?
• What word choices and other aspects of the letter tell you it's British? Why did the airline chose this method of communication?
• What else, if anything, should the airline have communicated on social media?

More Jargon to Banish

Once a year or so, I write about business clichés and jargon. This infographic, generated by GoToMeeting is a good summary of perhaps the worst examples heard in companies recently.

Here are some of my favorites (to avoid, that is):

• Content is king (Who's the queen?)
• Game change, par for the course, and other sports references I don't understand
• With all due respect, which usually indicates no respect at all
• Do more with less, a.k.a. work harder for less pay
• Open the kimono, which has both sexual and racial overtones.

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• What's the value of business jargon? It's not all bad.
• Compare these 50 to those in Chapter 5 of the textbook. Which are most and least familiar to you?
• Do you find any of the terms offensive?

Maine Governor Regrets Voice Message

Maine Governor Paul LePage is know for his brash style, but he seems to have crossed a new line. Politico calls him "America's Craziest Governor." Reacting to a reporter, LePage left an enraged voice mail message (NSFW) that included,

"Mr. Gattine, this is Gov. Paul Richard LePage, I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you (expletive). I want to talk to you. I want you to prove that I'm a racist. I've spent my life helping black people and you little son-of-a-b----, socialist (expletive). I need you to, just friggin, I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you."

He discussed his remarks in a news conference:

Listeners are debating whether LePage has apologized, with a political scientist at the University of Maine, Amy Fried, referring to his speech as "a non-apology apology." Mostly, LePage blames reporters and vowed never to speak to one again:

"I will no longer speak to the press ever again after today," LePage said. "And I'm serious. Everything will be put in writing. I am tired of being caught - the gotcha moments."

"You folks live in a seven-second fiction world. I live in 24-hour reality," he continued.

Some are calling for LePage to resign. At first, he seemed to consider it ("maybe it's time to move on"), but he has since changed his mind.

Discussion Starters:

• Few people will accept LePage's shifting the blame to the reporter, but does he have a point? What, if any, responsibility does the reporter have in this situation? Read more.
• What's your view of LePage's "non-apology apology"? What else should he say? Should he resign?

Conversational Customer Service Wins Big Points

When Skyscanner travel app suggested a 47-year itinerary for a customer, he asked what he could do during the layover. Jen, the customer service rep didn't miss a beat: she's quick and fun, and includes her promise in the P.S.

The post went viral on Facebook, with people commenting on her spontaneity and lack of script. Customers are getting tired of the template response. The Houston Chronicle wrote, "We aren't sure who Jen is, but she totally just owned the Internet and we all loved it."

Social media responses have been getting friendlier. Perhaps companies (or their social media reps) are taking more risks. Sure, a negative post can cause all sorts of trouble, but this example and others prove that a positive, personal style by a human being can garner a lot of attention.

Discussion Starters:

• Look at recent social posts by your favorite company. Analyze the tone and approach. Have you noticed a change over time?
• Jen's strategy may not work for everyone. What are some risks of her casual style?

Trump Vs. Morning Joe

Now, Donald Trump is feuding with the hosts of MSNBC's Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough. Earlier this month, Scarborough wrote a scathing piece in The Washington Post, "The GOP Must Dump Trump." He ended by encouraging Republicans to withdraw their support and find a new candidate:

"A bloody line has been crossed that cannot be ignored. At long last, Donald Trump has left the Republican Party few options but to act decisively and get this political train wreck off the tracks before something terrible happens."

Escalation of the debate has continued, as Brzezinski said he sounded as if "he's had a lot to drink" during a campaign rally speech in Fredericksburg, VA.

Trump did not enjoy that comment and struck back with a series of tweets matched by Scarborough, who shot back, "Neurotic and not very bright? Look in the mirror."

  The tweets came a few hours after Trump's campaign manager said he doesn't insult people. This is from Huffington Post:

"I don't like when people hurl personal insults," Kellyanne Conway told ABC News' "This Week." "That will never be my style, I'm a mother of four small children, it would be a terrible example for me to feel otherwise ... [Trump] doesn't hurl personal insults."

And yet Conway told Fox Business, "He has a right to defend himself."

Discussion Starters:

• When you watch the clip from Morning Joe, what do you notice about Brzezinski's delivery of the comment? How do others on the show react? Do you think she may regret her comment?
• How should Trump have reacted? And how should Scarborough have responded? As always, all players in the situation had several choices throughout these exchanges.

Arizona Mayor Angry About Bilingual Invitation

When John Cook, executive director of the U.S.-Mexico Border Mayors Association, sent invitations to mayors in border states in the United States and Mexico, he didn't expect the strong reaction he got from Ken Taylor, mayor of Huachuca City, AZ. The invitation was sent in both English and Spanish, which The New York Times calls "standard for any type of official communication about binational events."

"The excitement is building and we are ready for a great meeting of the Border Mayors Association in Laredo. We hope to see you there at 9 a.m. on August 24th at the Laredo Country Club.  The draft agenda and a list of hotels is attached to this email," Cook said in the email, which then provided the Spanish translation. "La emoción está construyendo y estamos listos para una gran reunión de la Asociación de alcaldes de la frontera en Laredo. Esperamos contar con su presencia a las 9 am el 24 de agosto en el Laredo Country Club. El proyecto de programa y una lista de hoteles se adjunta a este correo electrónico."

Taylor responded to the invitation: "I will NOT attend a function that is sent to me in Spanish/Mexican."

Cook said, "I don't want to pick a flight," "I will certainly remove you from our email list. Ours is a bi-national association with mayors from the United States and Mexico that were elected to serve border communities. All of our communications are intended to inform mayors from both sides of our border about our association." Cook also said, "The purpose of the Border Mayors Association is to speak with one voice in Washington, D.C., and Mexico City about issues that impact our communities, not to speak in one language. My humble apologies if I ruffled your feathers."

The concession wasn't enough for Taylor: "American is going ‘Down Hill' fast because we spend more time catering to others that are concerned with their own self interests. It is far past time to remember that we should be ‘America First' ... there is NOTHING wrong with that."

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of the invitation? Should invitations to U.S. mayors be written only in English?
• Given Taylor's objection, how well did he handle the situation? What else could he have said and done? What are the consequences of his response? 
• How well did Cook handle Taylor's reaction? 

Biles Handles the Media

In addition to winning an Olympic gold medal for gymnastics, Simone Biles made headlines for handling two difficult situations beautifully. 

Tired of hearing some media coverage for the games, Biles shot back, "I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I'm the first Simone Biles." An article in The Atlantic called NBC's coverage of the Olympics:

The coverage of women's gymnastics has a long tradition of emphasizing the contrasts of its competitors: traditional girlishness on the one hand, traditionally masculine qualities-"power" chief among them-on the other. And NBC's gymnastics commentators (under a mandate from NBC to address themselves to a notional "Madeleine in Middle America, who doesn't know gymnastics") have reveled in those easy contradictions. Biles stands, they have emphasized, at only 4 feet, 8 inches tall. She giggles a lot. A promotional package NBC aired during Rio's women's gymnastics qualifying round featured Biles's parents talking about her love for shopping. It also showed her getting a manicure.

The article went on to say it was as though NBC were saying, "Look at that girl do all that! She's powerful like Michael Phelps, but a girl!."

In another incident drawing attention to her (and needing her attention to clear things up), an NBC commentator, Al Trautwig, referred to her parents as Biles's grandfather and his wife. The couple legally adopted and raised Simone. Trautwig repeated his position on social media.

Biles simply said, "I personally don't have a comment. My parents are my parents, and that's it."

Image source.

Discussion Starters: 

• Biles is getting a crash course in media attention. Do you agree with my assessment that she's handling it well? What else can she do? 
• Read The Atlantic article about NBC's portrayal of women and the Olympics. Do you agree with the author's criticism? What rings true for you, and what doesn't? 

Saatchi Chair Resigns Admitting, "Fail Fast, Fix Fast, Learn Fast"

Saatchi Chairman Kevin Roberts told Business Insider that the "debate is over" about gender diversity in the advertising industry:

"Edward de Bono [the physician, psychologist, and author] once told me there is no point in being brilliant at the wrong thing - the f---ing debate is all over. This is a diverse world, we are in a world where we need, like we've never needed before, integration, collaboration, connectivity, and creativity ... this will be reflected in the way the Groupe is."

Instead, Roberts pointed to financial services, where he says the issue is "way worse." 

On Twitter, senior lecturers from other ad agencies as well as major companies disagreed, including PepsiCo's beverage group president, who said he wasn't proud to be client, and the CMO from JPMorgan, who said his comments were "positively Trumpian." 

Parent company Publicis issued the following statement: 

Following the comments made by Saatchi & Saatchi Executive Chairman and Publicis Groupe Head Coach, Kevin Roberts, in a recent interview with Business Insider, Publicis Groupe Chairman & CEO, Maurice Lévy addressed a statement internally to all Publicis Groupe employees to reiterate the Groupe's no-tolerance policy towards behavior or commentary counter to the spirit of Publicis Groupe and its celebration of difference as captured in the motto Viva la Difference!

It is for the gravity of these statements that Kevin Roberts has been asked to take a leave of absence from Publicis Groupe effective immediately. As a member of The Directoire, it will ultimately be the Publicis Groupe Supervisory Board's duty to further evaluate his standing.

Diversity & inclusion are business imperatives on which Publicis Groupe will not negotiate. While fostering a work environment that is inclusive of all talent is a collective responsibility, it is leadership's job to nurture the career aspirations and goals of all our talent.

Promoting gender equality starts at the top and the Groupe will not tolerate anyone speaking for our organization who does not value the importance of inclusion. Publicis Groupe works very hard to champion diversity and will continue to insist that each agency's leadership be champions of both diversity and inclusion.

For his part, Roberts apologized: 

"Fail fast, fix fast, learn fast" is a leadership maxim I advocate. When discussing with Business Insider evolving career priorities and new ways of work/life integration, I failed exceptionally fast. My miscommunication on a number of points has caused upset and offence, and for this I am sorry. I have inadvertently embarrassed Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis Groupe, two companies I love and have been devoted to for almost 20 years. I have expressed my regret and apology to the companies for the furor my remarks and language stimulated, and I extend this to colleagues, staff and clients.

Image source.

Discussion Starters: 

• Read more from Roberts' interview with Business Insider. Where did he go wrong? 
• Assess his apology. What works well to instill trust in the brand? How authentic does it sound to you?

Should Miss Teen USA Give Up the Crown?

Karlie Hay, from Texas, was crowned Miss Teen USA on Saturday, but evidence of her using a racial slur in 2013 and 2014 has surfaced. Hay apologized for her tweets in a statement and in an interview with George Stephanopoulos: 

"I am very sorry. It's embarrassing. It's something I'm ashamed of. I've grown up from that 15-year-old girl who used that type of language. It's never acceptable and now I know how hurtful it is. It hurts me to know that at one point in my life I used that language. I said that. It's not me."

The Miss Universe organization decided not to have Hay give up the crown:

"As Karlie stated, she was in a different place in her life and made a serious mistake she regrets and for which she sincerely apologizes." 

I don't watch beauty pageants, but I can't imagine how the judges chose a winner from the top 5 contestants. The New York Times called them "striking similar in physical appearance." 

 

Image source.

Discussion Starters: 

• Should Hay give up the crown? If she chooses not to, should the Miss Universe organization force her to?
• Hay's tweets emerged just hours after the show ended. Should social media screening be part of the pageant process? Why or why not? 
• Another option was for Hay to present this information as part of her application or maybe to discuss her personal growth in her speech or interview. (Do they still do that?) What do you think of this get-out-ahead-of-it strategy? 

Red Cross Apologizes for Poster

The Red Cross tried to be inclusive by showing kids of different races in its "Be Cool, Follow the Rules" poster about pool safety. But when you look closely, you see that most white kids are "cool," and most kids of color are "not cool." 

The "not cool" kids of color are running, diving over a white kid, and pushing a white kid. The Red Cross responded directly to tweets, for example, "@EmmyBetzThank you for bringing this to our attention. We're removing this from our site immediately & are creating new materials," and "@Jsawyer330We removed this poster within 24 hours. We didn't scrutinize it like we should have, and apologize for any offense." 

In addition, the organization issued this statement:

Red Cross Issues Statement on Water Safety Poster

June 27, 2016

Monday, June 27, 2016 (Washington, D.C.) – The American Red Cross appreciates and is sensitive to the concerns raised regarding one of the water safety posters we produced. We deeply apologize for any misunderstanding, as it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone. As one of the nation's oldest and largest humanitarian organizations, we are committed to diversity and inclusion in all that we do, every day.

To this end, we have removed the poster from our website and Swim App and have discontinued production. We have notified all of our partner aquatic facilities requesting they take down the poster. Our organization has emphasized to our partners and on social media that it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone and apologized for this inadvertent action. We are currently in the process of completing a formal agreement with a diversity advocacy organization for their guidance moving forward.

For more than 100 years, part of the Red Cross mission has been to help everyone be safe in, on and around the water. Countless lives have been saved with our water safety educational and aquatics programs. In order to further support our mission and dedication to inclusion, we launched our Aquatics Centennial Campaign (www.redcross.org/centennialswim) in 2014. We are working to reduce the drowning rate in 50 high-risk communities over a 5-year period by helping to teach at least 50,000 more children and adults to swim. With this campaign, we are focusing on areas with higher-than-average drowning rates and participants who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to take swim lessons.

Once again, we apologize for any inadvertent misunderstanding with regard to the production of this poster, and believe we have taken every step to address the situation.

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of the poster? A lifeguard called it "super racist." Do you agree?
• Assess the Red Cross's statement. How does the organization use principles of persuasion to address concerns? 

Facebook Training About Political Bias

With the upcoming presidential election, Facebook is training employees to check their political biases. Google and other companies have been helping employees identify unconscious biases about race and other differences. After criticism that Facebook weeds out conservative stories on its "trending topics" feature, the company is including political bias in its training program.

In May, an article reported several contractors who were "curators" of these trending topics admitting they were told to "inject" topics management deemed of interest and to suppress stories about Facebook as a company in the feed. Facebook denied these charges: 

My team is responsible for Trending Topics, and I want to address today's reports alleging that Facebook contractors manipulated Trending Topics to suppress stories of interest to conservatives. We take these reports extremely seriously and have found no evidence that the anonymous allegations are true.

Facebook is a platform for people and perspectives from across the political spectrum. There are rigorous guidelines in place for the review team to ensure consistency and neutrality. These guidelines do not permit the suppression of political perspectives. Nor do they permit the prioritization of one viewpoint over another or one news outlet over another. These guidelines do not prohibit any news outlet from appearing in Trending Topics.

Including political bias in the company's "Managing Bias" training program is a clever approach to the issue, and Facebook has sought advice from leading political conservatives to help. COO Sheryl Sandberg explains the goal: 

"It is a political time and we're proud of the role we play in elections, not just here but around the world. The vision of Facebook was to enable individuals to connect, but to connect not just to their friends and family, but also to the people who are representing them and who they want to represent them."

Sandberg also said that Donald Trump has more Facebook fans than Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders combined.

Facebook's Managing Bias training is available online. 

Discussion Starters: 

• Have your own biases interfered with working relationships? Or have others' biases affected you? How did you handle the situation, and what was the result?
• What could training for political bias look like? How could this training help employees with their coworkers, in addition to helping the curators? 

German Chocolate Company Responds to Racist Comments

Germans reacted strongly when pictures of non-whites on the packaging of Kinder chocolate were replaced by children who looked African or Middle Eastern. 

The main group disputing the new photos is the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (Pegida), which supports Germany's anti-immigration movement. Comments were harsh and called racist, and the group members seemed to miss that the photos are of their own national soccer players when they were young. This was part of a Kinder marketing campaign before the Euro 16 Football tournament starts in about two weeks in France.

Some stood in defense of the company. 

 

The manufacturer, an Italian company, responded to critics: "Ferrero would like to expressly distance itself from all kinds of xenophobia and discrimination."

Discussion Starters: 

• Should the marketing campaign have been more obvious? Do you think Ferrero was making a political statement? 
• Assess the company's short response. What else, if anything, should the company say?

Discovery Girls Responds to Controversial Swimsuit Advice

Readers didn't appreciate the Discovery Girls article telling young girls which bathing suit will make their bodies more perfect.

 

Criticism was harsh on Twitter and Facebook, with parents already struggling to help their children have a positive body image, regardless of their shape and size. Discovery Girls' readers are between 8 and 13 years old.

The publisher responded in a Facebook post saying that the article was a mistake and contrary to the magazine's views. She also took the opportunity to promote the Discovery Girls' book. 

An open letter from Catherine Lee, Publisher of Discovery Girls

First, I want to thank all the parents and my amazing readers who brought this swimsuit article to my attention. As the founder of Discovery Girls magazine, and even more importantly, the mother of the first Discovery Girl in 2000, I am in total agreement with all of you regarding this article, so much so that I wanted to make this letter as public as possible. We want to make sure that our girls know that any article that makes you feel bad about your body is not a good article, and should be questioned.

It's still hard for me to believe that an article so contrary to our magazine's mission could have been published on our pages. I have been a loss for words for days. The article was supposed to be about finding cute, fun swimsuits that make girls feel confident, but instead it focused on girls' body image and had a negative impact. Nobody knows better than Discovery Girls how impressionable our girls are at this age and we are ALWAYS mindful of this. We've received hundreds of thousands of letters over the years from girls sharing their insecurities about their bodies. We've been so concerned about helping girls have a healthy body image that we wrote an entire book, Growing Up, on puberty and body image.

The book, which took over five years to write, was a labor of love. We worked with so many writers, editors, and over 20,000 girls and their parents, too. We invested so much time and effort into it because we knew how important it is to get it right. Our girls need resources to provide them with the guidance they need to develop a healthy body image and love all that they are.

As much we like to think that something like this would never happen to us, it did. We're not immune to making mistakes, but we are always willing to get better and learn from our mistakes. We'd like to thank the readers who contacted us to let us know they couldn't believe we could make such a mistake. It means a lot to us, because it means you hold us to a higher standard, which we hope you will continue to demand from us. And for those of you who don't know us as well as our regular readers, our reader's comments are what keeps us improving. This is what makes Discovery Girls the magazine that we're all so proud to be a part of. I know with certainty, if you hang in there, you'll find that no magazine works harder to ensure the well-being of your daughters than Discovery Girls.

Catherine Lee

Chicago Tribune article, in my opinion, doesn't help. The author does a great job criticizing Discovery Girls, but the article photo shows girls will similar, thin bodies. 

Discussion Starters: 

• How well does Lee's response work? How could it be improved? 
• How does a "mistake" like this happen? What do you think went wrong, and how can the magazine avoid it in the future?

Prof on a Plane Accused of Terrorist Activity

Guido Menzio, an associate professor and economist at the University of Pennsylvania is an unlikely terrorist, but he was a suspect nonetheless. Menzio's seatmate on an American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Syracuse found his answers curt and became worried when she saw him drawing something cryptic. She cleverly slipped a flight attendant a note, and the crew turned the plane around and started asking Menzio some questions.

A Washington Post article says he was "ethnically profiled" as a someone Middle Eastern, although he is Italian. Turns out, Menzio wasn't trying to overtake the plane but was working out a price-setting model for a presentation.

The woman boarded another plane and has not been identified for comment.

The airline seems embarrassed by the incident. Of course, Menzio was quickly cleared, but the flight was delayed more than two hours. The Post summarizes Menzio's reaction:

Menzio for his part says he was "treated respectfully throughout," though he remains baffled and frustrated by a "broken system that does not collect information efficiently." He is troubled by the ignorance of his fellow passenger, as well as "A security protocol that is too rigid–in the sense that once the whistle is blown everything stops without checks–and relies on the input of people who may be completely clueless.

Discussion Starters:

• It's interesting that Menzio says he was treated respectfully. Would you agree? What could he mean by that? 
• What action, if any, should be taken against the woman passenger? The airline crew? 
• Should the woman apologize? If so, how?

Caitlyn Jenner "Meets Her Critics"

Caitlyn Jenner isn't shying away from high school critics. Students in a Brooklyn school say they want to hear more from her now that she has identified as a transgender person, and The New York Times reports that she has showed up to meet them.

Students at the Academy for Young Writers had harsh words for Jenner, calling her "privileged" and saying she didn't deserve recognition as one of Glamour's Women of the Year. The school is known for its progressive LGBTQ practices, and Jenner supported Ted Cruz. But she surprised students at the school when she showed up, and they seemed to make amends.

Jenner said she used to be a privileged man, but she clearly doesn't feel that way now. Nicholas Kristof reported on the story and made connections between Jenner and the transgender students: Jenner is chased by paparazzi, and the students are chased by bullies. 

Discussion Starters: 

• Should Jenner do more for the transgender community? Why or why not?
• How do you assess her approach with the students? Consider that her identify and her role are still new for her.

Target Defends Inclusive Bathrooms

Despite the controversy, Target is not backing down from its plan to allow transgender people to use the bathroom and fitting room they prefer. The company points to inclusivity as a core belief.

Backlash came most intensely from the American Family Association, which started a petition for people to boycott the retail chain and received more than 517,000 signatures. The petition suggests that Target instead install unisex bathrooms, but Target spokesperson Molly Snyder said that hundreds of stores already "have single-stall, family restrooms for those who may be more comfortable with that option." Snyder also said, "We certainly respect that there are a wide variety of perspectives and opinions. As a company that firmly stands behind what it means to offer our team an inclusive place to work - and our guests an inclusive place to shop - we continue to believe that this is the right thing for Target."

The group's concern seems to be about sexual predators; apparently, they don't understand the difference between a predator and someone who is transgender. This FAQ from GLAAD explains the term.

Discussion Starters:

• How would you explain the issue to someone who knows nothing about gender identity?
• Assess Target's statement. Is this the best approach to the controversy?