Sunday, June 24, 2012

Big Ol' Jet Airliner Definitely Carried Him Too Far Away: Governor Mark Sanford's Extramarital Affair (June 24, 2009)

Another apologia from June 2009.  And this one just doesn't know when to stop.

What was the deal?  At the start of 2009, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford enjoyed a swiftly rising reputation in national politics.  He won praise for his tough stands against government spending and was emerging as a promising presidential candidate for 2012.  On Father's Day weekend, Sanford's wife, Jenny, reported the Governor missing.  Responding to media inquiries about Sanford's whereabouts, his staff issued a statement that he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail.  Rumors surfaced, however, that Sanford was not hiking but rather was visiting a woman in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  When Sanford flew back to the United States, a reporter met him at the airport and confronted him about the allegations of an affair.  Awkward.  Sanford admitted that he had been in Buenos Aires.   Scandal, as they say, erupted and "hiking the Appalachian Trail" took on a whole new meaning.  Soon after, the Governor held a press briefing in the rotunda of the South Carolina statehouse during which he admitted having an affair with an Argentine woman.  Questions emerged immediately about whether Sanford had ended the illicit relationship, whether he lied to his staff or ordered his staff to lie about his whereabouts, and whether he would resign as Governor.  With both his national presidential prospects and governorship in serious jeopardy, Sanford used the press briefing as an opportunity to explain his actions.

How did he respond?  A transcript of the briefing, delivered three years ago today, can be found here and the video here.

How did he do?  Um, well, let's just say his approach is highly unusual.  Sanford does draw on typical apologia and image repair strategies, such as bolstering (references to attending "Christian Bible study" and being "a person of faith all [his] life"), denial (when asked if he directed his staff to help him cover up his whereabouts, the reply is a definitive "absolutely not"), and a high-concept provocation argument that the "zone of politics," whatever that is, required him to seek counsel, and apparently sex, far from the halls of Washington.  Still, these defenses stand little chance anyway, because they are not his priority in the briefing.

The Governor starts the speech in oddball fashion.  In attempting to admit that he suggested to his staff that his destination was the Appalachian Trail, Sanford spends the first few minutes discussing his trips to the trail as a high schooler, his work as an Eastern Airlines rep during college, and more vaguely described "adventure trips" throughout his early years in politics.  Other than establishing Sanford's extended career as a somewhat shady vagabond, these stories come off as a weird kind of wistful bragging.

Even his many apologies and requests for forgiveness (mortification strategy) are grating.  Sanford apologizes to everyone.  He apologizes to his wife, his four sons, and the people of South Carolina.  Okay, no problem there--that's what people want to hear.  But then he spends a looooong time apologizing to his staff, his "good friends," his father-in-law, the "people of faith across South Carolina" (just in case his apology to the entire state wasn't enough for God), and finally threatens to go "one by one and town by town...across this state...asking for their forgiveness."  Such absurdity makes one wonder if the Governor is serious about any of his contrition.

Two-thirds into his statement, Sanford finally admits his specific misbehavior:  "I have been unfaithful to my wife.  I developed a relationship with a--what started out as a dear, dear friend from Argentina.  It began very innocently, as I suspect many of these things do..."  At this point, Sanford seems to be offering a teaser of the bad romance novel going on inside his head.  Which brings us to the most critical flaw in Sanford's self-defense--he wants desperately to talk about his new girlfriend instead.  While we may tolerate this behavior for a while with our close friends, we don't really want to hear how our chosen leader and his mistress met cute during an innocent chat when Sanford tried to talk her into going back to her husband, from whom she was separated at the time, only to fall in love with that very same woman.  Wait.  Maybe this would make a good romance novel.  The Governor continued with his tale:  "About a year ago, it sparked into something more than that.  I have seen her three times since then, during that whole sparking thing."  That whole sparking thing?  Really, Governor?  I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I just can't go on with this...       

Final Call?  Sinkhole.  Oh, where to begin?  Maybe with more Steve Miller:  "I've got to go out and make my way/I might get rich you know I might get busted/But my heart keeps calling me backwards/As I get on the 707/Ridin' high I got tears in my eyes/You know you got to go through hell before you get to heaven."  In fact, if you read all the lyrics of Jet Airliner in the context of this scandal, the entire song comes across as a bizarre but prescient cautionary tale about Mark Sanford.  Theatre aficionados may be more inclined to go the Evita angle (Sanford actually admits:  "I spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina."  And I won't even delve into the whole "adultery-on-Father's-Day" issue.

The Governor apparently thought that if he could convince the public that the relationship was more than a one-night stand, it would be more understandable.  However, trying to convince us that it's The English Patient in Dixie was probably a miscalculation.  Needless to say, the scandal did not go away; ethics charges and public ridicule dogged the Governor for some time.  Sanford did finish his term but his political future remains cloudy.



Friday, June 22, 2012

Don't Deny the O: Oprah v. Hermes (June 22, 2005)


What was the deal?  The Paris luxury store Hermes turned away Oprah Winfrey, who arrived at the shop 15 minutes after closing in order to buy a watch for Tina Turner.  Winfrey’s spokesperson suggested that the action was racially motivated, calling it a “Crash moment” (a reference to the film about racial politics in Los Angeles).

How did they respond?  A week later and seven years ago today, Hermes released a statement:  “Hermes regrets not having been able to accommodate Ms. Winfrey and her team and to provide her with the service and care that Hermes strives to provide to each and every one of its customers worldwide.  Hermes apologizes for any offense taken due to such circumstances.”  In separate remarks to CNN, the store also denied any racial intent and disclosed that Hermes privately extended an invitation for Winfrey to return to the store.  A CNN report on the incident can be found here.

How did they do? This is a good example of a straightforward, concise image repair apology.  Notice how the statement does “brag up” the store a bit in terms of its typical standard of care and global status, otherwise known as the strategy of “bolstering,” which attempts to reinforce the accused’s credibility despite the controversy.  The direct denial of racial motivation is effective as well.

Final call?  Save.  Hermes may be “luxury,” but Oprah’s Oprah.  The mathematical formula is O v X (anyone) = O > X.  Not much choice but to apologize.  No word on whether Tina ever got her watch.  

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Late Night Slights: David Letterman Jokes About Bristol and Sarah Palin - Part II (June 15, 2009)



What was the deal?  As recounted in my last post, David Letterman took the low road in responding to the controversy surrounding his comedy bits about Sarah and Bristol Palin. The host's trademark irreverence and caustic comic sensibilities hamstrung his attempts to address seriously the criticism of his remarks.  Sarah Palin wasted no time rejecting Letterman's effort and his invitation to appear on The Late Show:  "The Palins have no intention of providing a ratings boost for David Letterman by appearing on his show.  Plus it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman."  Calls for protests, advertiser boycotts, and Letterman's firing no doubt made CBS and the host nervous enough to take another on-air shot at making amends and quelling the controversy.  

How did he respond?  Letterman's second public statement, delivered three years ago tomorrow, can be found here.

How did he do?  What a difference five days make.  The June 10 apologia provided very little--if any-- of what is called mortification, where the accused offers a sincere apology, takes responsibility for their actions, and seeks forgiveness from those aggrieved. However, by June 15, Letterman decided, in essence, to throw in the towel.  Gone are the snarky tone and attempts at humor at the Palins' expense.  Every time the host mentions Sarah Palin, he respectfully uses her title of "Governor."  He repeats his earlier defense strategies, that he didn't know Willow was at the Yankees game, that this had never happened before in his 30 years of broadcasting.  Letterman quickly concedes, however, that none of that matters and, if any of his jokes could be perceived as crossing the line, the responsibility was his ("It's not your fault that [the joke] was misunderstood, it's my fault."  

Letterman then concludes:  "So I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the Governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke. I'm sorry about it and I'll try to do better in the future."


Final Call?  Save.  Letterman's job probably was not hanging in the balance; his show makes CBS too much money.  Nonetheless, if the controversy dragged on, The Late Show may have experienced erosion in ratings, bookings (especially political guests), and advertisers.  Ultimately, those costs, and perhaps Letterman's own second thoughts about his conduct, persuaded the host to stop riffing and start repairing.  His apology comes off as sincere and heartfelt, especially as it pertains to the Palin daughters.  In a statement to FOX News, Palin accepted the apology and the furor faded with no long-term effect. 

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Late Night Slights: David Letterman Jokes About Bristol and Sarah Palin - Part I (June 10, 2009)



What was the deal?  On June 8, 2009, comedian David Letterman, host of the CBS late night talk show, The Late Show, made two on-air jokes about former vice-presidential candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin.  One comment appeared on a "Top Ten List" of highlights from Palin's trip to New York City and compared Palin's appearance to that of a "slutty flight attendant."  Also, during his monologue, Letterman joked that professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez "knocked up" one of Palin's daughters during a Yankees game.  According to Palin, only 14-year-old daughter Willow accompanied her to the game.  Letterman's comments led to immediate criticism from Palin and others in the media and general public, who viewed the jokes as sexist toward Palin and Willow while also making light of statutory rape.  The controversy intensified during the following week with Palin supporters calling both for boycotts of Late Show advertisers and for CBS to fire the host.  A protest rally in front of Letterman's theatre was also planned.  In an effort to quiet the public uproar and secure his job, David Letterman addressed the controversy in on-air statements during his June 10 show.


How did he respond?  Letterman's response, delivered three years ago today, can be found here.


How did he do?  Comedy wise?  Pretty well, I would say.  Ending the controversy?  Not so much.  Letterman does explicitly deny that his bawdy jibes were aimed at 14-year-old Willow, and that's really the strongest part of the speech from an apologia perspective.  He also uses a transcendence argument in placing this one incident in the context of his 30-year comedy career:  "These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl. I mean, look at my record. It has never happened. I don't think it's funny. I would never think it was funny. I wouldn't put it in a joke."  This works in the sense that mentioning his longevity, along with the suggestion that no similar accusations have been leveled during that time, reinforces his primary strategy of denial.


Even in the few effective moments, however, the veteran host undermines his efforts with irony and snark.  For example, Letterman comes close to expressing actual contrition before veering off into a punchline:  "Do I regret having told them? Well, I think probably I do. But you know what? There are thousands of jokes I regret telling on this program."


More problematic is that Letterman doesn't actually seem interested in alleviating the controversy.  Otherwise, he would not have spent several minutes of his statement repeating the disagreeable jokes verbatim and then analyzing why each one is not deserving of criticism.  Or, in the case of the "Sarah Palin as slutty flight attendant" gag, respond with "Now, the only thing I can say about this is I kinda like that joke."  Surely, Letterman knew this irreverent approach would only infuriate further the Palins and their supporters.  He just didn't care.


Final call:  Sinkhole.  David Letterman was too busy mining the situation for comedy gold to engage in a serious apologia effort.  As a result, the criticism intensified and the comedian had to address the issue again a mere five days later. 





Wednesday, June 6, 2012

An Apologia a Day...?

In a book review essay in the most recent Quarterly Journal of Speech, the leading academic journal in the field of Communication Studies, Lisa Storm Villadsen suggests that scholarly research on apologia-- communication that responds to accusations--is moving beyond spectacle and toward a better understanding of democratic deliberation and rhetorical citizenship. The ideas in the writer's essay, and in the works that she reviews, are fascinating and got me thinking more about apologia. Also, with the approaching 60th anniversary of Richard M. Nixon's "Checkers" speech, an address that ushered in the modern age of media apologia, I thought it was high time to catalogue some of the apologia work that I've done as part of my research and teaching. I'll draw heavily from the Ware and Linkugel and Benoit schools of thought on apologia and image repair strategies, while bringing in other theories and ideas as needed. On the other hand, I want the blog to be accessible to those outside of academia who are interested in specific public figures, scandals, and the communication that is generated by both. The examples will range from minor missteps to calamitous crimes and calumnies. No set schedule for posting; I'll just put stuff up when I can. The ultimate goal is someday to end up with an "apologia calendar" wherein every day of the year observes some famed figure's attempt to explain their foul-up, bloop, or blunder. Not sure if it can be done, but someone needs to try...