A Dallas journalist was fired for addressing the city’s mayor as “bruh” on Twitter, and it’s a cautionary tale about being careful what you say online, especially as it relates to your profession.
Meghan Mangrum, a former education reporter with the Dallas Morning News, said that she responded to a tweet from Mayor Eric Johnson on Feb. 11 after claiming the local media had “no interest” in reporting about a decline in violent crime.
Mangrum, who is white, responded in a since deleted tweet stating, “Bruh, national news is always going to chase the trend. Cultivate relationships with quality local news partnerships.”
Her choice of familiar wording violated the newspaper’s social media policy, and offended Johnson.
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“Gotta love when folks let their inherent biases show. I get to be addressed as “bruh” by someone who writes for my daily local paper whom I’ve never met,” he responded.
Mangrum’s tweet caught the attention of the paper executive editor, Katrice Hardy, a Black woman who asked if she would have referred to the mayor as “bruh” if her were white. In an interview with D Magazine, Mangrum responded yes.
The former reporter also said that uses the word often with friends and family.
“I would never tell a person of color, ‘Oh, it wasn’t racist. You shouldn’t feel that way.’ But I know my intent, and it was not at all about race. I use that word with my friends and when I tweet about hockey. It’s just part of my vernacular. I grew up in Central Florida, and, you know, I’m a millennial,” Mangrum told the magazine.
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In a statement released to NY POST, the Dallas mayor’s office confirmed they did not have any contact with Dallas Morning News regarding the situation.
“We are not going to comment on personnel decisions and social media policies of a private-sector business. We wish the reporter the best of luck in her future endeavors,” the mayor’s chief of staff Tristan Hallman said in a statement.
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