The US continues its intolerance for intolerance, even when shrouded in the veil of comedy as was made clear by the cancellation of Don Imus’ Imus in the Morning Show on WCBS-AM radio and MSNBC cable television. Imus and his on-air producer exchanged very offensive remarks regarding the Rutgers Women’s basketball team last week, and a firestorm of protest has resulted in ending, for now, his 30-year radio career.
The judgment of whether this episode is worthy of canceling Imus is beyond the scope of Swelled Head. You can see the offending segment here on YouTube and decide for yourself.
What’s important for Swelled Head readers from the UK and Europe who own their companies' transatlantic marketing roles is to realize the risks associated with the speech and actions of your executives traveling and working in the US. What might pass for funny or inoffensive at home could generate a lawsuit, loss of business and damage to your reputation here. Society generally in the US has become very protective of people's feelings and there are consequences for those who “cross the line.”
And, crossing that line may not be as obvious as Imus’ remarks are to you and your colleagues. When we meet a prospective client from the UK or Europe who will have exposure to journalists, we strongly recommend media and cultural sensitivity training. The reason is that your instincts, successful behaviors and speech might not be acceptable here.
Has your spokesperson ever put his/her hand on a journalist’s wrist, shoulder or knee while making a point? Assumed a journalist was a liberal and talked politics during an interview? (While more journalists do lean Democratic than Republican, most prefer to keep their political views out of the reporting process unless they are political reporters.) Made a provocative remark about the appearance of a colleague? We’ve seen all these and more from company representatives who were unwilling to participate in training, and none of these episodes ended well.
The way in which the Imus matter unfolded has important implications as well. Today’s Wall Street Journal article describes how this 30-second segment of a four-hour radio show became an Internet cause célèbre, beginning with a single blog post on mediamatters and leading to national media coverage, debate, protest and ultimately the downfall of a top tier U.S. media figure. If you ever doubted the relevancy and power of blogs, those doubts should be erased forever.
In a culture where even the mighty can fall from one slip of the tongue, being prepared and aware makes more sense than ever. Have your executives been media trained? If not, and you need help, feel free to give us a call or contact us by email.
Technorati tags: don imus, MSNBC, CBS, media training, cross cultural training
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