George Carlin had a comedy routine based on the list of words that are not allowed over broadcast airwaves according to the FCC – Federal Communications Commission – who overseas radio and TV.

But there are no rules against holding a second job, even if that job is that of a stand-up comedian.

Thirty-four year old reporter Jad Sleiman identifies as an Arab-American who was raised in a Muslim home  In 2021 he was diagnosed with having Multiple Sclerosis.  He was working for WHYY, a radio station in Philadelphia when the station fired Sleiman after seeing clips of his comedy routines.  The station cited that he violated the company code of conduct, their social media guidelines, and values of social responsibility.  Submitting nine clips, WHYY noted that they were “‘egregious’ in content, and had ‘sexual connotations, racial connotations, and misogynistic information.”  They also called the clips “inflammatory”.

On December 28, 2023 arbitrator Lawrence S. Coburn ruled that while some of the jokes may be a bit “inflammatory”, they were also funny and ruled to reinstate Sleiman saying that the station “rushed to judgment” in its decision to terminate him.” Sleiman said that his jokes stemmed from his own personal experiences.

Saying he feels “vindicated by the decision” and “intends to return to work”; he also said that he is “going to fight.  He noted, “these execs, they have no right to take that from me.  I want both. “I’m going to be a reporter and a comic, and I think there’s nothing wrong with that.”  He is considering some legal action of his own over their remarks.

Sleiman also noted, “when a news organization says you’re a racist, bigot, whatever, people believe them.  So it was a lot of abuse from a lot of people who have never met me, who’ve never seen my stand-up just saw what WHYY said about me, which is not great.”

Sleiman began working at “The Pulse” – a syndicated health and science program in 2018 but was fired in 2023 after the discovery of the comedic videos.  He began his career as a reporter in 2013 after serving in the United States Marine Corps.

In his decision the arbitrator noted that while some of the jokes were simply funny; others were “insightful, principled, and serious; but not very funny.”  He added, “more important, I find that the message of the clip, if one is open to receiving it, cannot be interpreted to be inflammatory.”

He said,  “it is difficult to believe that a fair-minded person would find the clip inflammatory,” but added, “the bar is very low, and WHYY’s 1.3 million person audience might have a few people who would find the clip inflammatory.”

Also as a part of the decision, Sleiman was ordered to delete the nine videos used in the arbitration and any “offensive post-discharge” posts where he disparaged the company for firing him.  Coburn noted, “under the circumstances, such ‘foolishness’ does not disqualify him from reinstatement.”