Chances are that, if you’re reading this, you’re already aware that NBC has been broadcasting their London 2012 Olympics coverage on a delay. In an age where we can almost instantly know everything happening everywhere, one of the greatest collaborations between nations is essentially being held hostage in order to boost ad revenue. Guy Adams, the Los Angeles bureau chief for The Independent, had his Twitter account suspended after complaining about the delay and suggesting folks email Gary Zenkel, an NBC executive, with their own thoughts on the matter.
After a brief conversation with Twitter support, they claimed that Adams violated one of their privacy policies in sharing Zenkel’s email address with the world. Unfortunately for Twitter, their guidelines as written don’t seem to fit with the narrative they’re giving. It’s hard to claim that someone’s corporate email, easily found via search engine, counts as a “non-public, personal email address” that they state is against their privacy policy to share.
An NBC Sports spokesperson confirmed to Sports Illustrated‘s Richard Deitsch that they filed the initial complaint with the following:
We filed a complaint with Twitter because a user tweeted the personal information of one of our executives. According to Twitter, this is a violation of their privacy policy. Twitter alone levies discipline.
The last sentence might strike some as odd, but it comes on the heels of the realization that Twitter and NBC are in cahoots, as it were, in regards to the Olympics. They struck a deal where the two corporations would both benefit from the way in which NBC has chosen to broadcast their “live” coverage of the event. It makes sense, then, for NBC to try and distance themselves from the suspension. Implying that they were directly responsible for the punishment would stink of censorship and they know it.
(via Deadspin, image credit via Aly1963)
- Jay Leno once aired a clip from YouTube and then NBC claimed ownership years later
- The streaming of the Olympics has been poorly handled but it sounded so promising
- NBC wanted Conan to stop tweeting as well but didn’t have as much success
