Netflix is standing by its decision to offer content that employees may find “hard to support” or “harmful,” according to a company culture memo.
The memo, revised from an earlier 2017 memo and first reported by Variety, features a new “Artistic Expression” section. The section says Netflix will not “censor specific artists or voices” that some employees may find “harmful.”
“If you find it hard to support our content breadth, Netflix may not be the best place for you,” the memo states.
The language in the memo likely refers to the streaming platform’s controversial Dave Chappelle special from last year. The special drew backlash from the LGBTQ community and led to protests over its transphobic material, including by Netflix employees.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos reiterated the company’s defense of the special in an email to employees last October.
Numerous Netflix staffers organized a walkout over the special, and one employee was terminated, Netflix said, on suspicion of leaking internal data to Bloomberg News that included the special’s $25.1 million price tag, The Verge first reported.
The new memo also includes an “Ethical Expectations” section that asks staffers to “act honorably… whether or not [information] is marked ‘confidential.’”
Chappelle seemingly made light of his special’s controversy after being attacked at the Netflix Is A Joke festival earlier this month.
In videos from the Los Angeles festival, the comedian called his attacker a “trans man.”
The 23-year-old suspect, Isaiah Lee, reportedly told the comedian he attacked him to raise awareness of gentrification. Lee pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanor charges related to the attack last week.
