CNN, the left-wing entertainment network, has fired three employees for violating the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Network president Jeff Zucker, who helmed NBC during the Matt Lauer years, announced the decision in a memo to staff on Thursday.
"In the past week, we have been made aware of three employees who were coming to the office unvaccinated. All three have been terminated," Zucker wrote in the memo. "Let me be clear—we have a zero-tolerance policy on this."
The move was widely praised by left-wing pundits, including CNN contributor Hilary Rosen. "Bravo @CNN and #JeffZucker," the Democratic strategist wrote on Twitter. "This isn't like telling the Boss the dog ate my homework. Stop putting peoples lives at risk."
It wasn't the only memo CNN staffers received on Thursday. The Washington Free Beacon has exclusively obtained a second internal document, authored by Zucker, laying out the network's revised "code of conduct" for employees. In the interest of journalistic integrity, we are publishing the memo in its entirety.
Enjoy!
MEMORANDUM
DATE: August 5, 2021
TO: All Staff
FROM: Jeff Zucker, President, CNN
SUBJECT: Employee Code of Conduct (Revised)
I am writing to inform you of some recent changes to CNN's code of conduct for employees. Please review the following list of "acceptable" and "unacceptable" behaviors.
UNACCEPTABLE
Exposing one's colleagues to the deadly COVID-19 virus. Employees must be vaccinated.
ACCEPTABLE
Exposing one's genitals to colleagues in a workplace setting, virtual or otherwise.
UNACCEPTABLE
Using any of the following ethnic slurs:
• Fredo
• Mafioso/Goombah
• Mangiacake (Cake eater)
• Meathead
• Avenatti
• Spaghetti Hog
• Pasta Freak
• Describing a CNN colleague as "hung like Mussolini in Piazzale Loreto, 1945"
ACCEPTABLE
Public masturbation. In the interest of maintaining a sex-positive work environment, onanism is permitted in almost all situations, including but not limited to the following:
• Zoom calls
• Board meetings
• At one's work space
• At a colleague's work space
• In the bathroom, regardless of gender assignment
• On the air (under the anchor's desk, if possible)
UNACCEPTABLE
Failing to use the widely popular and commonly accepted term "Latinx" to refer to members of the community formerly known as "Hispanic" or "Latino." CNN has a zero tolerance policy regarding bigotry.
ACCEPTABLE
Praising Adolf Hitler is fine in certain contexts, but please refrain from doing so on social media. Inviting guests on the air to suggest that former president Donald Trump is "the same as" or "worse than" Hitler is a preferable course of action.
UNACCEPTABLE
Sexual harassment and sexual assault are strongly discouraged. Certain exceptions will be made for employees with the "star power" of a Matt Lauer, or the political clout of a Harvey Weinstein. Bottom line: Don't get caught.
ACCEPTABLE
Advising a prominent politician and/or family member under investigation for sexual harassment, including but not limited to engaging in efforts to undermine the integrity of alleged victims, is permissible under certain circumstances.
The politician must be a member of the Democratic Party whose resignation would not result in a Republican taking power and who must have at one point been widely considered to be a sexual icon by our liberal viewers. The CNN employee must be the host of a highly rated television program, preferably a white male with a famous dad.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this memo. I very much appreciate your contributions to the company during this dark period in CNN's history, as we struggle to remain relevant with a Democrat in the White House.
Have a wonderful day!
Jeffrey A. Zucker