Not all practical jokes are funny. Some are inappropriate or rude. But newsroom practical jokes aren’t a reason that a reporter loses their job, which is exactly what happened to 15-year KCCI-TV news reporter Steve Oswalt.

Oswalt, an award-winning reporter, was fired after he sprinkled face powder around the newsroom in front of a group of co-workers as an anthrax hoax.

Oswalt’s lawyer was quoted in the Des Moines Register saying the incident was clearly done in a joking manner in front of managers who knew it contained no threat.

This kind of zero-tolerance/extreme sensitivity is nothing more than paranoia. Anthrax is a general concern among news outlets about the possibility of suspicious packages and envelopes. But this concern shouldn’t be so intense that reporters have to worry about jokes being taken the wrong way.

This anthrax joke was inappropriate. But a highly respected reporter shouldn’t lose his or her job because of an overreaction by the news director. Over-sensitivity to the anthrax scare shouldn’t be justification for firing someone who made a poor judgment call.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Zach Calef, Omar Tesdell