This past weekend, Access Hollywood released a recording that should be an object lesson. I don’t know about you, but every time I see one of these news stories about someone speaking out of turn in the presence of a microphone, I am simply astonished. Unless someone is recording you in secret, it’s kind of hard not to know you’re being recorded. This story is a reminder how easy it is to be overheard. It’s also a reminder that not only can you be overheard, but whatever you say can wind up on the Internet, where it becomes immortal and characterizes you for the rest of your life. That applies to any communication that gets on to the Internet, from an ill-advised Tweet to an intemperate email to an in-house video. So check on the microphones before you say anything demeaning about another human being.
No, I want to reconsider that last line of advice. Don’t check on the microphones before you say anything demeaning about another human being. Microphones or not, you should never talk about people like that. Period.
