Marketing director gets exposed after blaming employee for his own AI-generated newsletter, forgets the paper trail is in the same email thread: ‘Don’t touch the copy'

Cata Holmes • Writer

Sep 20, 2026 12:30 PM EDT

Nothing ruins a good lie like a paper trail…

I'd never understand those managers who, instead of acknowledging their mistakes, decide to throw them at their own employees. In the story we're about to read, an employee had to create a newsletter that had to be sent the next day. The content was made - or prompted - by the marketing director at the company and had several mistakes inside. Not only was the product information wrong, but there were also some spelling mistakes and multiple other issues.

As soon as the product manager read it, they said it was unusable and a new one had to be made as soon as possible. When the marketing director was told about this, he said that the employee had written that newsletter, basically passing the blame onto her. But he forgot that the email that had the original text had a big sign at the bottom that indicated the employee not to change or touch it.

It only took the product manager 30 seconds to realize the director had lied, and he didn't say anything back. Basically, he was so embarrassed that he had nothing left to say.

But for the employee, this situation was one of many problems she's been having with this person. In this case, he blamed her for something wrong, but there were other cases in which he claimed good ideas that she had as if they were their own. He copies and pastes her work and sends emails pretending it was all his.

To avoid any further complications, the employee decided to CC senior leadership in every email she is sending to this man. If he wants to keep claiming ideas and work he never did, at least let everyone know who the person who actually did it.

Anyways, I think this story is a good lesson for anyone who works in corporate and has to deal with these types of situations regularly. Speaking for yourself and standing your ground can be a good tool to have when senior managers want to throw you under the bus. You got this!

*Employee frustrated after marketing director tried to throw them under the bus for his own failed AI-generated work.*
*Model representation.*

I did what I was supposed to do and had it checked by someone who actually knows the subject inside out. Her verdict was that it could not go out like that. It went up to the manager who owns these campaigns, who was blunter: unusable.

She called him about it. He told her I wrote it.

Except the brief came from him, in writing, with his own "don't touch the copy" line at the bottom. Took about thirty seconds to pull up. He got caught and had nothing to say.

The part that gets me is that this is not a one off. He regularly takes work I produce, pastes it into his own emails and decks, and presents it upstairs as his.

The one time his own output ships and gets torn apart, suddenly it has my name on it.

So from now on, anything I send him goes with senior leadership in CC. Nothing aggressive, just visible. If he wants the credit he can take it in front of people who can see who actually wrote the thing.

For those who have done this: did going visible actually protect you, or did it just turn you into the difficult one? And how long before your boss found a reason to make your life unpleasant?

OkMortgage6723 anything I send him goes with senior leadership in CC. Nothing aggressive That will definitely be viewed as aggressive. Or worse, passive aggressive.

Jenikovista Cc'ing senior leadership on your emails will only put yourself in the line of fire. You may think they care about your squabbles with the marketing director but I assure you they do not.

LankyPatient4203 making enemies with your director doesn't sound like a good strategy. one thing to note is that he's probably doing this to all his direct reports

Human-Aardvark-5233 Your first job is to make your boss look good. This is the person who will assign you your raise and give you a recommendation for an internal position

miracleanime I think you forgot that your actual job is to make your bosses look good.

*Marketing director realized his own email trail exposed him after trying to blame an employee.*
*Featured likenesses do not identify those mentioned.*

trebor67 Most business leaders, when they have to give a talk or presentation, have someone. else do the work for them. Look at politicians/ Heads of State, they have a whole team of speechwriters and strategists.

Flashy-Whereas-3234 You can't just cc upper management, you need a skip that you can be chummy with, who won't spill the beans but is positioned correctly to do something.

LadyMRedd Saying you wrote the copy is an a hole move. But putting stuff in his pitches without attribution? That's normal business. This isn't school where we include a full source list with titles and authors.

OldNeighborhood6813 Talk one on ome with her tell her shw can check it but ask for discrerion as you dont want to go to war with your manager

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Marketing director gets exposed after blaming employee for his own AI-generated newsletter, forgets the paper trail is in the same email thread: ‘Don’t touch the copy'

Nothing ruins a good lie like a paper trail…

Tags

Handpicked for You

{{title}}

Handpicked for You

{{title}}