Netflix's director of communications was fired for racist behavior. Find out what Jonathan Friedland did!
Jonathan Friedland, Netflix's director of communications, was forced to resign from his position. The reason for Friedland's sudden removal from the post was racist comments made several times by the Netflix representative toward his colleagues. Netflix's PR chief repeatedly used the term "nigger" in reference to African Americans.
Scandal at Netflix
On Friday, Netflix announced in an internal memo signed by Hastings that Friedland had been stripped of his position and was leaving the company.
The memo issued by Hastings indicates that Jonathan Friedland once again resorted to racist terms toward his colleagues. The first incident, noted several months earlier, was deemed an unfortunate mistake, so no consequences were drawn against Friedland. However, the situation repeated itself. Last week it was reported that the manager, shortly after the scandalous incident, again used the term "niggers" toward two Black employees of the HR department, addressing them directly.
Hastings' decision
Hastings concluded that Jonathan Friedland was persistently violating the standards in force at Netflix, and that his racist comments were not a matter of chance but stemmed from personal beliefs. As a result, the company's chief made the personal decision to fire Friedland.
After being dismissed from his position, Friedland expressed remorse and additionally admitted on Twitter that his behavior fell below standards.
Concepts from the article
PR — Public Relations. Activities that build an organization's reputation and its relationships with its environment: the media, customers, employees, partners and communities. PR includes statements, media relations, crisis management, events and brand narrative.
Why it matters: It builds what no advertisement can buy: credibility in someone else's voice. An editorial publication and a well-handled crisis weigh more than a campaign — because a third party is speaking, not the brand about itself.
When it is used: Constantly: media relations, statements, interviews, events; especially in a crisis and during changes at the company.
What neglecting it risks: Without relationships with the media, a company speaks only through paid channels, and in a crisis it is left without spokespeople and without trust.
Summary
Jonathan Friedland, Netflix's director of communications, was fired after twice using a racial slur toward Black employees. The company ignored the first incident, treating it as a mistake, but the repeat prompted Hastings to make the personal decision to part ways with the manager. Friedland admitted on Twitter that his behavior fell short of standards.
The case shows how important a role PR and responding to crises inside an organization play in building reputation — even at the highest levels.
