I don’t know how many of you also listen to the Linux podcasts from Jupiter Broadcasting, but two of my favorites (Choose Linux and Linux Action News) have announced they’re going off the air due to the firing of one of their hosts, Joe Ressington. I can’t find any information on this but it seems like it wasn’t an amicable split. I don’t follow social media so if there’s been announcements I didn’t see them.
It’s a real shame, as those were two of my favorite Linux podcasts (along with DLN of course). It’s sad to see less coverage going forward.
UPDATE - According to Joe’s Twitter account someone at JB complained about a swear word he used and his contract was cancelled. Honestly, JB? Aren’t we all adults here? If that’s an accurate story, that’s ridiculous.
UPDATE 2 - As others have pointed out, it appears Jupiter Broadcasting wasn’t the one that did the firing after all, but their parent company A Cloud Guru.
I have huge respect for him, and I think he is a man of integrity. I listen to his other show LateNightLinux, from time to time as well.
I hardly listen to any Jupiter Broadcasting any longer. They love to cover Microsoft-related developments a lot more than I find enjoyable to hear about.
I do too, and this incident was enough incentive for me to become a patron. Hopefully this just means he can focus on his own content without JB looking over his shoulder.
Although I think they over reacted I think that there may have been a Female present in the virtual Room when it was said and given all the sensitivity about the “Me Two” stuff in the last few months and The word used (which in the UK might not have had quite the same impact, despite being offensive) they were probably being over cautious about a potential sexual harassment claim. It’s a crying shame as Joe was one of the presenters on the JB team that many chose to listen too so they will probably lose audience as a result, I’ve seen a load of backlash about this in the JB telegram group.
Think I have figured out the word in question. (Didn’t take Sherlock).
There is QUITE the difference in the … casual-ness vs offensive-ness when that word crosses the pond.
May have been an overreaction, but there is more than JB at play. I think I remember Linux Academy getting involved as more than just a sponsor. More of an employer.
What was the word in question? I’m not a native English speaker and would like to learn something here. Can it be quoted here without getting DLN into trouble or has the world gone completely insane?
BTW Late Night Linux is a better podcast than anything created by JB. I’ve been listening to it since the beginning. Linux Luddites (previous podcast from Joe) was also very good.
Interesting thing about this particular word (which is four letters and rhymes with “grunt”) is that as I understand it the offensiveness is very different between UK English and US English. In the UK where Joe is - it’s not particularly dirty and used sometimes as a term of endearment between friends (or at least just a light ribbing). In the US it’s often taken as a very offensive term for women.
Swearing does happen on Late Night Linux quite openly. It’s not a show for kids. Joe has received a number of negative remarks about the swearing on that show long before this incident, but apparently he feels that it’s a natural part of the relaxed, pub-like, adults-only atmosphere he wants to have with his co-hosts. Perhaps this swearing habit spilled over to JB a little too much, and now it backfired on him.
Effective, yet real speech (which connects with your audience) can be tricky, especially when a record is being kept (either recorded, or typed-in, as we’re doing).
I love all of Jupiter Broadcasting’s shows. Chris Fisher started the company years ago and last year sold it to Linux Academy. Then late last year they sold it to ACloudGuru. It was that company’s HR department that conducted the firing without even warning or consulting Chris. Losing Joe is a big loss because he hosted some great shows there and he did a lot of editing for them. We shall see what happens as time progresses.
Also, per Joe, he asked for forgiveness, apologized for his actions, and requested sensitivity training. The HR department told him their decision was final.
Perhaps there is a silver lining on this dark cloud for all of us here. Perhaps we would all do well to see this as a sign of the times, that Linux has arrived to a very mainstream audience. A mainstream, family-friendly, politically-correct way of communicating is not just the norm, but it’s where the bar has now been raised to.
“Pub talk,” with all its colorful expletives, might be best kept in the literal pub, reserved for times with your close, long-time friends only, who know you well.
Except he said it private company. Not in a podcast. But among friends. But whatever. I try to be sensitive with my language . But if I don’t respect you, I will let those words fly
Except he didn’t per his Twitter. I don’t know where you guys work, but I’d never in a million years use any of the Seven words in a public setting let alone my job. We’re all adults here, we should know how to switch on and off.
All these years later and I can still rattle off the “seven dirty words you can’t say on television” like some people can recite a Lord’s Prayer.
I often find myself thinking of responses to people with things from his routines. I miss George and know that he would be very comforting (and hilarious) in today’s political climate.
If that was the word then, well, he shouldn’t have used it. Simple. Should he have been fired for that? That’s a different question. I’ve listened to the “goodbye” episode of LAN and it looks like even the JB crew doesn’t necessarily agree with either what’s happened or the way the decision’s been made.
To set the record straight here: it was someone at parent company A Cloud Guru, not anyone at Jupiter Broadcasting. They fired him for “Gross misconduct.”
