It's interesting: sometimes a little thing can become a BIG thing! Case in point: a soundbite in this morning's KQED News about the Macy's Santa Claus who lost his job, sparked quite a debate in our newsroom.
John Toomey got fired from the Macy’s in downtown San Francisco after an adult couple complained about an off-color joke he told them. Toomey has since been hired to work at Lefty O'Douls pub, posing for Santa pictures and saying what he wants. I found a soundbite from last night's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" where Toomey appears as Santa, telling three jokes.
(Watch Toomey's appearance in Leno's monologue here.)
From that I pulled one to air in the newscast, as part of a story that lasted 45 seconds or so. But my instincts said, "Eh... ask your editor first!" So I did... which sparked an intense discussion about verbiage, taste, editorial judgment and (here's where you come in) the nature of our audience.
So... how far is too far?