Update: McDonald’s denies firing South Carolina mom sent to jail for taking daughter to park

[moriah]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/07/23/south-carolina-mom-goes-to-jail-loses-job-for-taking-daughter-to-park-while-at-work/

Update: A McDonald’s spokeswoman disputed that claim in an email message to The Post on Wednesday. “It would not be appropriate to discuss an employment matter in the media, but on behalf of the Owner/Operator Christine Crawford I can confirm that this employee has not been terminated,” said Lisa McComb, director of media relations for McDonald’s.

While I hope this woman did not lose her job, I wonder how this was reported if it was not true.

[snooper2]

1. how it was reported if it was not true? Because the Intertubes killed journalism

Well, except for VICE-

[moriah]

3. Well, I mean, the woman had a lawyer out in the press already about this....

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/21/living/mom-arrested-left-girl-park-parents/

If she hadn't been fired, surely someone would have spoken up before McDonald's came out and denied it. Is it that she was fired but given her job back under the publicity, or what?

Edit, from BusinessInsider:

http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-fires-debra-harrell-2014-7

Harrell's lawyer, Robert Verner Phillips, told Business Insider on Tuesday that the woman was fired from her job last week. He said at the time that he did not know the reason for her firing. We have reached out to Phillips for more information and will update when we know more.

[elleng]

2. As Chris Hayes said, quoting others,

'If it bleeds, it leads.' And nevermind about facts.

[bluestateguy]

4. We have to have an adult conversation about our culture right now

We are becoming too overprotective of children to the point of hysteria and paranoia.

edit: and I really don't like busy bodies who stick their nose in places where it isn't supposed to be.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Although, if mom's substitute for a sitter was leaving her kid at the park all

day during her shift...not cool. Yes, I used to be allowed to roam the neighborhood or the woods when I was her age, my mom rarely knew exactly where I was at any given point, but that was the 70's. There also aren't as many kids out there missing hands from corn-picking equipment, or sustaining injuries from un-seat-belted car wrecks. Society has changed, and a 9 year old can't roam at large, unsupervised, when mom's at work anymore. I feel bad for mom, because I know a paid sitter would eat up most of her paycheck, I've been there.

[leftyohiolib]

7. she was using the park as daycare

[bluestateguy]

9. Which is something that a good many upper middle class people do too

Or they send their kids to the mall, which is probably worse.

[etherealtruth]

10. Yes she was

... certainly not a good choice; however, the working poor are confronted with situations where none of the options is "good' or acceptable. I am not sure that any "good" options are available to the working poor. There i lies the problem in my mind.

[smokey nj]

12. Well said.

[bluestateguy]

8. There is a fine line between "not cool" and criminalization

Must every not so good parenting decision be turned into a criminal offense?

Letting your child stay up too late at night?

Making your child do too many chores for a cheap allowance?

Your child is a little overweight? Not morbidly obese, but just a little thick in the middle.

Are we going to turn all of this into criminal matters?

[leftyohiolib]

6. we did that already people kept their noses out of it and it lead to kids having to deal with abuse

until they ranaway at 12 or 14 or 16.

[kiva]

11. Look at the "ISIS ordering all women to have FGM" stories.

Stories all over the place. A thread in Latest Breaking debunks it.

This is exactly how this stuff spreads - rumor makes better stories and journalism is crap these days.