It is often said that the wrong thing, even if done for the right reason, is still the wrong thing. Well, an author from Washington is learning this the hard way. She saw a Metro worker eating on board—and saw fit to plaster it on social media. The ensuing backlash may have cost the writer an upcoming book deal.
Natasha Tynes was due to come out with her first book, “They Called Me Wyatt,” later this year. On Friday morning, she was riding the Red Line to her day job as a social media lead at the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation when she spotted a black female Metro worker eating breakfast on board. Knowing that it has long been against Metro rules to eat on board trains and buses, Tynes confronted her. The woman’s response? “Worry about yourself.”
That worker’s response was really snitty and uncalled for. But Tynes’ next move was equally wrong. She snapped a picture of the worker and posted it to Twitter, tagging Metro’s official Twitter feed. When Metro’s social media team asked for details, Tynes noted she was on the Red Line, bound for Glenmont station.
Let’s be clear—there’s a reason you’re not allowed to eat on board. It causes sanitation problems. But Tynes’ lack of proportion was staggering. This wasn’t a case of a worker molesting someone or stealing something on board. There is literally no reason why this couldn’t have been handled with a phone call.
Amid reports that racist sites doxed the worker, Twitter absolutely pummeled Tynes, with most of the responses calling her out for shaming a black woman. Amid the furor, Tynes apologized later that day.
But it was too late. Within hours, Rare Bird Books, who was due to distribute “They Called Me Wyatt,” publicly and loudly announced it backing out of the deal.
Later that day, Tynes’ publisher, California Coldblood, announced it was postponing shipment of “They Called Me Wyatt,” and seriously considering pulping it altogether.
Some people have defended Tynes, saying she was just trying to point out the rules against eating on board. True, but the way she went about it was horrible. I repeat—there is no reason to plaster something like this on social media. And it’s inconceivable that, as a social media lead, she didn’t realize it would expose this worker to undue danger. Had Tynes placed a call, Metro might have been able to address this issue privately.
The closest parallel I can draw off the top of my head is to Brett McMurphy’s inexplicable breach of journalistic ethics last year, which more than likely allowed Urban Meyer to keep his job at Ohio State—and seemingly leave on his own terms—when he should have rightly been fired for allowing one of his assistants, Zach Smith, to keep his job after it emerged he’d assaulted his then-pregnant wife. McMurphy’s decision to not append corrections as more details came in about the investigation more than likely made it all but impossible for Ohio State to legally justify firing him. After all, it would have appeared that Meyer was being fired for attempting to defend himself and correct the record.
This is no different. In her zeal to call out this worker’s behavior, Tynes may have opened another can of worms.