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After editorial director is fired for misconduct, liberal outlet bans open bar at company Xmas party
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After editorial director is fired for misconduct, liberal outlet bans open bar at company Xmas party

The Huffington Post reported Thursday that Vox Media — a liberal media outlet whose editorial director was fired in October for sexual harassment — will not allow an open bar at this year's New York employee Christmas party.

In an email obtained by HuffPo, employees will receive two drink vouchers in lieu of a more traditional open bar for company employees.

Why was the kibosh put on open bar?

According to the email, alcohol — and overconsumption of alcohol — can contribute to creating an environment conducive to "unprofessional behavior."

The email, sent by the company's "Experiential Team," read:

Hello all,

We invite you and a guest to join us at Vox Media’s holiday party on December 12 at Freehold. Details are in the invite - please click to RSVP by Wednesday, December 6th.

A note on alcohol at this event: This year, at the request of many of you, we will ramp up the food and cut down on the drinks. There will be more passed hors d’oeuvres to keep everyone well-fed. And instead of an open bar, each attendee will receive two drink tickets with which they can get alcoholic drinks if they choose. After that only non-alcoholic drinks will be available.

We recognize that even though alcohol isn’t always the reason for unprofessional behavior, creating an environment that encourages overconsumption certainly contributes to it. We hope that you all appreciate the spirit of this change and we look forward to celebrating with you!

Sincerely, The Experiential Team

What's the company's recent history?

Vox fired Lockhart Steele, its former editorial director, in October for allegations of sexual harassment.

"Lockhart Steele was terminated effective immediately," Vox CEO Jim Bankoff wrote in a staff memo, which was obtained by Variety. "Lock admitted engaging in conduct that is inconsistent with our core values and is not tolerated at Vox Media."

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