Let’s look at two similar stories – Czech presenter Pavlina Kvapilova’s and Neal Mann’s story.

I guess we are still discovering the area of social media in Czech Republic. Very few companies or organizations use this tool successfully when communicating with customers or public.

The public broadcaster CT24 (“Czech Television 24”) is one of the most successful users of new media in Czech Republic. It was Pavlina Kvapilova who introduced and started the huge project of New Media in CT24. Since October 2011 until very recently she had been an executive director of New Media Division of Czech Television. She brought the concept of being in touch with the public 24 hours a day through social media. There is live broadcasting in CT24 all day which allows people to express their opinions, understandings and doubts about up-to date problems through social media. These entries are then introduced in that broadcast. It closes the communication cycle but opens the room for discussion, sociological and psychological studies etc. What a genius idea, right?!

A few days ago, Pavlina Kvapilova was fired for the reason of redundancy. First of all, I really cannot find any redundancy in the post she was on and even less in the area of social media which is growing so fast. Secondly, everyone in CR knows that the actual reason for her dismissal is that she supported her colleague who was suspended from the position of the presenter of evening news. Pavlina’s work contract terminates at the end of November but she was told to not come back.

We can find the similarity with Neal Mann’s leave from Sky News when his boss told him to curb his Twittering about non-work subjects. Ironically Neal then joined Wall Street Journal that is owned by Rupert Murdoch too.

And I am asking: Why you, bosses, are willing to let the best people of your team leave just because they expressed their opinions in social networks? Still, this is the essential role of social media! You harm your company’s reputation but, what is worse, you infringe one of the most important freedoms in one’s life. Freedom of speech.