After calling the mayor of Dallas "bruh" on Twitter, a reporter claims she was dismissed by her newspaper because the remark broke its social media policy.
Former reporter for The Dallas Morning News Meghan Mangrum took issue with Mayor Eric Johnson in what she believed to be a civil but firm tweet.
The Tweet Has Now Since Been Deleted After Mayor Johnson Criticized It
Johnson tweeted on February 11 that the local media had "no interest" in covering the city's decline in violent crime.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Dallas said that any uptick in violent crime will undoubtedly be addressed, Gizmodo reports.
"If it doesn't feed into our worst tribal instincts or show a city devolving into violent crime-ridden chaos, the media will not cover it," the mayor tweeted on February 11.
He even adds that the local media has no interest in policing or crime stories if they do not support a particular narrative.
Johnson was criticized in the comments by a number of local media outlets, including readers and reporters from the Dallas Morning News who had written about the crime increase.
Mangrum, a reporter for the Dallas Morning News Education Lab since the summer, added her thoughts of the matter through a tweet.
"Bruh, national news is always going to chase the trend. Cultivate relationships with quality local news partnerships," the tweet says.
Following the reporter's tweet, the mayor quickly called out Mangrum on what he thought was a tweet showing her inherent racial biases.
Mangrum was terminated for breaking the paper's social media policy three days after posting the tweet after being summoned in for a meeting with the executive editor, Katrice Hard.
Hardy, who is Black like the mayor, questioned if she would have continued to use the term "bruh" if the mayor were White, to which Mangrum replied affirmatively.
Mangrum, who is currently jobless and relocating back to her parents' home in Florida, asserts that her tweet was only an effort to defend her colleagues, Chron notes.
Read More: Apple Bids Farewell To Two More Executives
Mangrum Continues To Work On Union Activities
The Morning News' union, the Dallas News Guild, has complained to the National Labor Relations Board about Mangrum's dismissal.
The union protest by the Dallas News Guild, which Mangrum participated in and helped organize, was held on the same day as the meeting with Hardy.
The union thinks Mangrum's dismissal was intended to intimidate the bargaining unit, which is currently negotiating a new contract, Gizmodo writes.
Mangrum claims that she is heartbroken over losing her job and dissatisfied with how management handled the situation.
She also pointed out that the incident is just one worrying example in a larger tale of the difficulties faced by journalists at The Dallas Morning News and the company's attempts to break unions.
According to Mangrum, the Dallas News Guild has one of six complaints it has made to the National Labor Relations Board on her behalf recently.
She even mentioned how the company terminated the Al Da team, which was responsible for the newspaper's Spanish-language publishing, in February.
Related Article: Twitter's VP For Public Policy Quits As Layoffs Continue
