It's amazing how every time Yahoo is in the news, I end up that much more grateful to have rejected their job offer.
Every act an employee takes and every word they speak while on the job is directly attributable to their employer. No exceptions, no excuses, ever. It doesn't matter if it was against policy, and it doesn't matter how many employees there are. The company must take responsibility. It reflects extremely poorly on the corporate culture of Yahoo and Tumblr that you don't recognize that.
We have different opinions and different values. I value my right to speak freely and not in representation of my employer. I wouldn't judge your employer for your words, hobbies, extracurricular activities - they are not a representation of you, nor are you a representation on them. If you feel otherwise, that's your right to do so - I hope that the corporate culture that you found suits you better then the one that works for me.
> I value my right to speak freely and not in representation of my employer.
You fail to understand two things. The first is that you have no such "right". You are speaking as a representative of your employer when others perceive you to be. What you or your employer think is irrelevant.
The second is that this isn't about you. Whether you must take responsibility internally is up to your employer. But whether your employer must take responsibility in public is not. It has nothing to do with your "rights". You don't have a say in the matter.
Every act an employee takes and every word they speak while on the job is directly attributable to their employer. No exceptions, no excuses, ever. It doesn't matter if it was against policy, and it doesn't matter how many employees there are. The company must take responsibility. It reflects extremely poorly on the corporate culture of Yahoo and Tumblr that you don't recognize that.