When people open their mouths without thinking it often backfires, leaving some of us to wonder, “What were they thinking?”

But when someone crosses the inscrutable line of propriety, consequently devastating the reputation of his or her employer, the question becomes, “How should they handle it?”

Is it free expression or unforgivable conduct?On Jan. 18, Tarsha Nicole Jones from WQHT Hot 97 in New York and her crew aired a parody song mocking dead tsunami victims.

One of the show’s members, Miss Info, a Korean-American, denounced the song on air and was criticized by others for “always trying to be different” and “thinking she was better because she was Asian.”

Ironically, the song went to the melody of “We Are the World,” a charity anthem that raised millions of dollars for famished children in Africa during the mid-1980s.

The chorus said, “So now you’re screwed. It’s the tsunami. You better run and kiss your ass away, go find your mommy. I just saw her float by. A tree went through her head. And now your children will be sold, child slavery.”

Shock value galore!

If ratings were the goal, it’s certainly mission accomplished by now. The station posted an apology on its Web site, and each member of the morning crew agreed to donate a week’s pay to the tsunami relief effort.

Jones issued an on-air apology, saying, “I apologize to all who have been offended by my poor decision to go along with playing that insulting tsunami song. …”

Sounds like an attempt at salvaging a wrecked career in my opinion; but yes, she was right about our deserving better radio.

The station fired Rick Delgado, the producer of the song who also wrote some of the lyrics, and comedian-host Todd Lynn. Jones was suspended. “Lawfully, she should be able to say it,” said DJ Lace, who hosts a weekend morning show on 103.5 FM, a hip-hop radio station in Sacramento. “I don’t think Miss Jones should be fired just because what she said is offensive. I think she should be reprimanded, but I don’t think she deserves to get fired because it’s free speech.”

Amber Foreman, a 22-year-old graphic design major, said, “People have a right to say what they want, but using racial slurs is very insensitive. That would be like another country making a song about 9/11, and it’s not right.”

Asian Media Watch, a nonprofit grassroots organization, insists that Hot 97 fire Jones and adopt “permanent diversity and sensitivity training programs” for its employees.

I don’t know, maybe that’s going too far. What about Howard Stern? I enjoy his show, and I hardly find him sensitive, but somehow, I find the tsunami song vastly different.

Ultimately, it’s up to the employer to decide your fate when your actions damage the company’s reputation.

While Jones sits in the shadow of the station, waiting for the smoke to clear, thousands of people are rummaging through scattered mementos, searching for missing family and grieving hauntingly atop mass graves, as the death toll from the tsunami has grown to more than 295,000.

Contact Carrie Espiritu at [email protected]