Media Lessons from Edwards Affair
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In days gone by, big scandals broke in big newspapers or on big television networks. But the outing of former presidential candidate John Edwards' affair with a former staffer was administered improbably by the National Enquirer and kept alive by a handful of bloggers.
The undoing of Edwards underlines the power of alternative news media and the Internet in combusting a controversy and fanning the flames effectively. It also reinforces the need to expand your thinking about what media to monitor to get an early bead on a potential crisis.
Most people, except for the Men in Black, don't turn to the National Enquirer for breaking political news stories, at least ones that you can believe. But nobody else reported on the story, even after the Enquirer ran a followup report indicating the staffer involved with Edwards was pregnant.
In an ironic appearance on a national TV network that finally roused itself to check out the Enquirer stories, Edwards admitted the affair, but denied fathering the child.
Media critics are lambasting the big boys of print and electronic journalism about their "cone of silence" on the Edwards story, even after the National Enquirer reports, including one alleging Edwards paid hush money to the staffer that featured a picture of Edwards holding an infant in a Beverly Hills hotel room.
However, for the average person and organization, the bigger issue raised by the Edwards incident is the reality of new media, where blackouts on juicy news are virtually impossible.
Slate was among the most diligent alternative media in dogging the Enquirer reports about Edwards, using the occasion to poke at mainstream media for looking the other way. Bloggers did their part to prevent the story from fading away, even after Edwards withdrew from the presidential race.
The crisis you face may not capture the attention of the National Enquirer, Slate or high-powered political bloggers. But all it takes is one determined person or group with a computer hooked up to the Internet.
"We are past the time when all you had to worry about was Mike Wallace on '60 Minutes' or the bulldog investigative reporter on your local newspaper," says Pat McCormick, CFM's partner who oversees the firm's public relations practice. "Now someone with e-mail can create more grief, more often that can affect your reputation and demand your attention."
Smart organizations monitor blogs and online commentators, as well as mainstream publications and electronic media outlets. They set up an early-warning system that alerts them when negative comments hit the wires. They pay attention to what's on the Web.
The earlier you detect a communications grassfire, the more options you have in trying to quell it. If allegations are untrue or blown out of proportion, you can counter them with facts. In a case such as Edwards where the facts are essentially true, you can pick your spot to come clean and seek to salvage your reputation.
An effective crisis communications plan calls for continuous monitoring of news sources, including non-traditional ones. Unlike mainstream media in the Edwards affair, you should pay attention to what is being said about you, even in the most remote reaches of the blogoshpere, and respond.
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