Jeffrey Toobin has been suspended from his job as a staff writer at the New Yorker — arguably one of the most enviable gigs on the planet — and he’s on leave from CNN, where he worked as a senior analyst until inadvertently exposing himself on a Zoom call.
The masturbation scandal triggered a debate on social media about whether Toobin’s self-described “stupid mistake” is actually sexual misconduct that could end his career.
A former federal prosecutor, Toobin, 60, has written at least five books including one that became the Emmy Award-winning TV series, “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson”.
Toobin was caught masturbating during a Zoom video chat with colleagues from the New Yorker and WNYC radio, Mercury News reported.
The incident provoked calls among #MeToo advocates for Toobin to suffer professional consequences. He became the butt of jokes with the incident being called a #metoobin. Some people on social media say he’s guilty of sexual harassment — not, as he said, “an embarrassingly stupid mistake.”
There are ways to protect yourself from an embarrassing and career-ending Zoom moment.
Zoom attendees have reported stories of catching people going to the bathroom during a meeting because their webcam was pointed at an open bathroom door.
Online Tech Tips reminds us that the webcam turns on automatically when a meeting starts. Maybe you thought the meeting ended and the camera turned off automatically. However, while people are still connected, the camera is still on.
The easiest way to prevent an embarrassing or career-ending faux pas is to use the slider cover on your webcam if it has one. If it doesn’t, keep some tape handy to cover the camera when it’s not being used.
“Be very careful about sneaking off to the bathroom during meetings. Unless you want your co-workers to hear you let ’er rip, in which case, go with God,” New York Magazine advised in an article entitled “The Dos and Don’ts of Video Calls.”
Some Zoom meeting attendees have reported co-workers using webcams at an unflattering angle, maybe inadvertently. The co-worker may be using his phone to handle the video call, and the phone is propped up against his laptop screen, which is on his lap. As a result, the shot is at an extremely low angle, NY Mag reported. For the others who have to see this, it looks like you are staring up at him from directly on top of his crotch.
A well-lit office is best for a web conference, but windows can be a source of embarrassment that can make you appear in a bad light in front of co-workers. They’re great at letting light in but any window behind you can make you look like a villain hiding in the shadows of a dark room.
The solution? Put curtains or shades on any windows behind you and keep the window coverings closed during meetings. You never know who or what is going to pass by the window. Window coverings will cover you.
The best scenario for perfect lighting is to put your desk so you’re facing a window with the window behind the monitor, or with the window off to the side, according to Online Tech Tips.
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Natural light from windows on the side does the opposite of a window behind you. Instead of forcing the webcam to filter light, it shines natural light on you for the camera to pick up.
That means shutting the office door and locking it to keep out uninvited guests and pets that are not welcome during business meetings.
“The effect of deals lost due to cat-related malfeasance is yet unknown but economists estimate it to be in the tens of bazillions,” NY Mag reported.
A reader sent in this story to the magazine: “I, a lowly baby lawyer, just hung up on the general counsel of a massive bank after yelling ‘NO NO NO’ because my cat knocked over my phone and unplugged it.”
