05-15-2022, 04:56 PM
After subscribers quit, Netflix tells activist employees it’s time to support free speech
After Netflix has announced it’s bleeding subscribers, the company has started to make some changes. Netflix has issued a warning to employees in its new “Culture Memo.” It warned employees offended by “harmful” content on the platform to find work somewhere else.
The memo, obtained by Variety, which signals a change in Netflix’s culture, appears to have been triggered by backlash over a special by comedian Dave Chappelle and more. Activist Netflix employees staged a walkout over the company hosting the special that they deemed transphobic.
The new Culture Memo has a section titled “Artistic Expression,” which says that the platform will not censor some artists and voices even if their content is deemed “harmful.”
“If you’d find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you,” the memo says. It adds that employees may have to work on the content they deem harmful and if they are not comfortable accepting such tasks they should find work somewhere else.
“Entertaining the world is an amazing opportunity and also a challenge because viewers have very different tastes and points of view. So we offer a wide variety of TV shows and movies, some of which can be provocative,” the memo states. It continues to say “we support the artistic expression of the creators we choose to work with” and that it is upon the viewers to “decide what’s appropriate for them, versus having Netflix censor specific artists or voices.”
The employee who organized the walkout last October after the release of Chappelle’s “transphobic” special titled “The Closer,” was fired after leaking data.
Read more: After subscribers quit, Netflix tells activist employees it’s time to support free speech
After Netflix has announced it’s bleeding subscribers, the company has started to make some changes. Netflix has issued a warning to employees in its new “Culture Memo.” It warned employees offended by “harmful” content on the platform to find work somewhere else.
The memo, obtained by Variety, which signals a change in Netflix’s culture, appears to have been triggered by backlash over a special by comedian Dave Chappelle and more. Activist Netflix employees staged a walkout over the company hosting the special that they deemed transphobic.
The new Culture Memo has a section titled “Artistic Expression,” which says that the platform will not censor some artists and voices even if their content is deemed “harmful.”
“If you’d find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you,” the memo says. It adds that employees may have to work on the content they deem harmful and if they are not comfortable accepting such tasks they should find work somewhere else.
“Entertaining the world is an amazing opportunity and also a challenge because viewers have very different tastes and points of view. So we offer a wide variety of TV shows and movies, some of which can be provocative,” the memo states. It continues to say “we support the artistic expression of the creators we choose to work with” and that it is upon the viewers to “decide what’s appropriate for them, versus having Netflix censor specific artists or voices.”
The employee who organized the walkout last October after the release of Chappelle’s “transphobic” special titled “The Closer,” was fired after leaking data.
Read more: After subscribers quit, Netflix tells activist employees it’s time to support free speech