I worked at McDonald’s in the early 90s. I kept my time card and this “Internal Media Line” thing.
Thursday, 13 Mar 2025
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“Stay Calm” 😂😂😂
Not a working number now 🙁
I worked for an airline that had something similar. Only difference was that we were given a script that we weren’t authorized to speak on behalf of the company and a number we SHOULD give out for media.
I mean, it’s pretty standard at most businesses that employees are not permitted to talk to the media about business matters.
why does it say “evil 1” on top?
This badge belongs to Evil 1?
I was like, Wow, a 416 number now I know they’re Canadian and from Ontario, I’m a detective.
He thinks, without noting the giant CAN or the word Canadian also on the card.
Former journalist here: I never encountered a situation where quoting a business’ current non-management employee was useful to a story without first talking to a manager.
While I can think of a couple exceptional cases where this might apply, they are rare. In ten years of reporting, it simply never happened to me. And I don’t think a good “journalist/reporter” would go this route.
The most northern Ireland thing is I glanced at this and thought it was going to be instructions for when bomb threats were phoned in.
Was it common for reporters to try to question low level McD’s employees? Common enough that they felt the need to print and distribute these cards?
In 1990 McDonald’s Canada opened the first McDonald’s location in the Soviet Union, so this might be part of their media response.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckbfS99N6jY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckbfS99N6jY)
Reminds me of the crisis management card I still have from my fraternity. It has all the steps to take and a direct cell phone number to the then national president of the fraternity.
Very glad I never had to even pull the card out once.
Walmart used to have a similar hotline if anyone talking about unionizing.
‘Canadian Action Network’ sounds like a Shellac LP
Oh man I forgot about the time card. Didn’t have this gold card though. I had a gold one that was for employee discounts you could use at other McDonald’s and stores like Stiches lol.
Like 1 in 8 Americans, I also worked at McD’s. This was in high school 1977-1979, in Michigan. I was the grill guy and my buddy was bun man. It was a great place for first job! I learned to work fast and efficiently and to always be doing something (cleaning) vs standing around. We had a ton of fun back there on the grill. The manager often had to tell us to stop laughing so much. I kept a grill flipper, my handbook, a paper hat, my name tag and a cleaning towel as treasured mementos.
EVIL 1
Thats fucking hilarious all those steps are the ones retail badges say to do if you get a bomb threat..
Lol corporations think the media just as bad and want to save their ass from bad publicity.
They probably could have used that during the Louise Ogborn debacle
Ohhh. Tell me it was Queen and Spadina. I spent so many drunken nights eating there, after the clubs, in the 90s.
McDonald’s gave you an EVIL card with a set of instructions on how to assassinate reporters? Holy shit, White Wolf was right.
“Do not give the number …”
Proceeds with reddit’ing the number.
It’s baller as fuck that they made it look like a gold AMEX.
Every place I’ve ever worked has a media policy. 🤷🏻♀️
(And it’s always the same. Basically, keep your mouth shut – you are not our mouth piece. Be polite. Kick it up the chain.)
What’s the big deal? Don’t panic, find out who you’re talking to, find out what they want to know and how they can be reached, let your boss know what’s going on. It’s a standard way for companies to deal with the media.
Are we just not gonna acknowledge his time card says evil?
Back when big corporations were afraid of the Media now they just own the media and nothing scares them unless it’s named Luigi 😂
The media instructions seems unnecessarily complicated.
When I was at Walmart the instructions were basically to say “I’m not the best person to help you out, let me get a manager”. Also they specifically told us to not use the phase “no comment” because that makes you look shady AF.
Well that’s not suspicious at all
I remember those time cards.
Was this after the coffee incident?
Someone totally has totally given that number to the press…
Was this McDonald’s reacting to the media after that lady spilled hot coffee on herself?
Yeah I had one like that when I was a covid center admin. It was for the health inspector though.
This is fancy, I saw in the comments you were from Canadiana. We just had those old fashioned drop it in the big clock ones that go ca-chunk
Thank goodness only evil 1, not 2. That’s reserved for the higher ups.
I wonder if this was due to the hot coffee spill lawsuit (most people think that lady was greedy but she just asked them to pay for her medical bills. she had 3rd degree burns on her genitals and inner thighs. They tried to weasel out of it instead of just paying the hospital bill and that’s why the judge punished them and gave her millions)
“Tonight, on McDonald’s Action Network! The Hamburglar strikes again! This will be is 1,000,000th burger burgled and authorities are beginning to question if he’s working with someone on the inside!”
Why?
I also worked at a McD’s in the 90’s and I still have my key ring with the safe key on it. It’s worthless without a pass-code to go with it, but it’s still kinda cool.
Oh shit, you knew all the stations. Nice flex.
I heard this was in response to reporters calling about these incidents in the 90s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strip_search_phone_call_scam
Nothing says legitimate non-evil corporation like a media call checklist that sounds like you’re handling a bomb threat.
Got basically the same thing at my job, the difference being I didn’t just get a card, it was a separate paper next to my contract I had to sign separately
You had to have a number if the media came calling?? Man wtf were yall doing if the media was calling to talk to ppl??? Holy cow!!
Yeah I started working for a hotel and after a fer months I got an email about how to forward media calls to the hotel owners press department. I thought that a bit strange so I asked my manager. Turns out our hotels owner got brutally murdered by his step son and that was the day the stepson was getting sentenced to life. Weird day that one.
They fear us.
PR is everything. Even then, no one can afford bad press.
What on earth happened in Canada in the early 90s that McDonalds needed to issue a card outlining how to handle the media?
Welcome to the McDonald’s internal media line. If the reporter is inquiring about vermin infestation, press one. If it is regarding hiring a potential serial killer, press two…