Fable and Folly Policy Governing the Use of Social Media Channels
We recognize that employees, contractors and producers (each, a “Covered Person“) of the Fable and Folly Network all have personal and/or professional profiles on social channels that include: Twitter, Facebook, Medium, blogs, podcasts, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Tumblr.
Fable and Folly stands by the right of all Covered Persons to use their channels to communicate with their constituents and followers. And to speak their truth.
We do put the following restrictions in place for all Covered Persons:
Declaration of Material Relationships. If you receive money, goods or services to sponsor or promote a product, company or service, you must declare that connection, even on social media, both under company policy and under US and other laws (see here for US FTC guidance). Please clearly indicate this by using one of the following hashtags: #ad, #paid, or #sponsored.
Clarity that your opinions are your own.
It must be clear that you are not speaking on behalf of Fable and Folly unless you are (1) authorized to do so, and (2) doing so on an official Fable and Folly channel.
Awareness that what you say is permanent.
There is no ability to remove something from social media. It can live on as screenshots or captured by bots and search engines. The best practice is if things are getting emotional, walk away. Take some time to calm down or just disengage.
Honor Our Differences.
For the safety of all Covered Persons, and of all people in general, Fable and Folly will not tolerate discrimination (including age, sex, race, color, creed, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability, or marital status or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local laws, regulations or ordinances).
Intent to cause no harm.
We will not tolerate hateful, abusive or content designed to harm others. This includes any content that is deemed as illegal or unethical. At Fable and Folly, we’re committed to providing and maintaining a workplace environment free of discrimination, harassment, and bullying.
We put the following additional restrictions in place for employees and contractors of Fable and Folly.
Declaration of affiliation.
All contractors or employees of Fable and Folly must disclose their affiliation and role with Fable and Folly in their bio or where relevant. If you are not sure whether it is relevant or where to declare your affiliation, ask. Please ensure your profiles include a statement along the lines of “All views are mine and not the views of my employers” or “Opinions are my own and not the views of my employers”, and that posts mentioning Fable and Folly use the hashtag #F&F_employee.
Use good judgment when posting online.
The general rule is “don’t post anything to your personal, professional or Fable and Folly social media accounts that you wouldn’t feel comfortable with broadcasting on-air.”
Do not post anything that would embarrass or have a negative impact on Fable and Folly’s reputation.
While you are an employee or contractor, never use social media to disparage, defame or bring Fable and Folly, its management decisions, or its directors, officers, and employees into disrepute. The same goes for Fable and Folly customers, suppliers, partners, and affiliates. If you have criticisms, we want to hear them and have a fair opportunity to address them internally with you. We also expect all employees and contractors to treat competitors fairly and with the same assumption of good intent that we would like people to have towards Fable and Folly.
Even if something is true, that does not mean you should post it.
Controversial statements about third parties must be substantiated with facts and/or evidence and be approved by the Executive Team. When in doubt about what constitutes defamation, speak to a member of the executive team prior to posting content online.
Receiving and responding to negative feedback is part of the job too.
You should be professional yet authentic when responding to legitimate feedback from listeners or viewers on social media. Don’t get overly defensive or engage in an online argument. Some call this, “feeding the trolls” and it usually makes things worse. Not sure how to
respond to criticism? Speak with a member of the executive team on how to craft the best response. Remember that even nice people can seem vicious online when comments are taken out of context, so try to consider the possible effects of your online activity from all points of view.
Direct all queries from the media regarding Fable and Folly or one of our members to the Director of Marketing.
The Director of Marketing will consult with the executive team on the best approach to take.