Honda's lawyers want Jalopnik to dox a whistleblower

boing
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[Read the post]

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Hey, Jalopnik, got any VW employees commenting?
(ā€œVolkswagenonameā€ or suchā€¦)

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I work at Hondaā€™s legal office and Iā€™m having a real laugh at the cease-and-desist team.
(no, not really)

Volkswacognito.

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Remember, even though ā€œcorporations are people too,ā€ not really. The specific people here are probably the lawyers. They really should be required to get a basic course in law school about what the internet is.

Oh, I forgot. Thatā€™s called a bachelorā€™s degree.

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Volkswagnosia.

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volkswagonungenannt
GeheimnisAutofirmaMitarbeiter
Hinweisgeber

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So much dumb. In the past when Jalop has gotten supposed leaks they reached out to the manufacturer, like they always do, for a comment and the manufacturer either does not reply, disavows the leak or, on rare occasions, elaborate on or confirm the leak.

They never deny the leak and the identity of the leaker as an employee and then try to get their identity confirmed.

Dear Honda, you make pretty good cars and boat motors and such, but you make bad choices in public relations.

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That poor Civic Hatchback. Once loved, now returning to the earth from whence it came.

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Bravo!

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I wouldnā€™t necessarily expect a given lawyer to exercise good judgement RE: The Internet; but I am genuinely surprised that either no PR flacks were in the loop and in a position to say ā€˜legal threat probably not the best way to get what we want hereā€¦ā€™ or that Hondaā€™s PR flacks actually decided that it was the best option.

It seems like even a marginally competent summer intern could have sounded out Jalopnikā€™s likely response(especially since a Honda summer intern quite possibly reads car-related media anyway) and suggested that just letting the issue die in the comment froth was easily the lowest visibility option. Once the issue gets to Legal, itā€™s pretty much their job to write something intimidating looking on classy letterhead; but why did it get to them?

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Workflow for whistleblower problems at Honda:

  • Report issue to legal
  • Legal writes/issues ā€œsomething intimidating looking classy on corporate letterheadā€
  • problem solved?
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