Imus Firing Not the Solution

Jack O'Dwyer's Public Relations News
April 13, 2007

Mike Paul

New York PR counselor Mike Paul believes the firing of Don Imus will do nothing to foster the "forgiveness and reconciliation" that is needed in the wake of his racist remarks targeted at the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

Paul believes the team could have displayed "real leadership" by forgiving Imus, and urging MSNBC/CBS to keep him on the payroll so he could do good works to ease the hurt that his words caused.

He criticizes Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for capitalizing on the anger of the moment and "scapegoating" Imus for all the injustices suffered by African-Americans.

Apologies have limits

Eric Dezenhall, CEO of crisis firm Dezenhall Resources, says Imus' fall from grace supports his belief that apologies have limits. [That's the core thesis of his new book, "Damage Control: Why Everything You Know About Crisis Management is Wrong," written with John Weber.]

When behavior is viewed as being aberrant, apologies can work, according to Dezenhall. When they're viewed as being revelatory - indicative of a pattern of behavior - they're much less effective.

Dezenhall says despite the PR industry's love of apologies, it's not as if Imus had apologized in some different way or had done so more times, it would have made a bit of difference.

"While he had to give it a shot, the track record of recovering from racially-tinged remarks is really poor and, to the horror of PR people, some matters are beyond the discipline our humble profession," he said.

It's up to communicators, in Dezenhall's view, to take a more critical, realpolitik look at when apologies work and when they don't.

Cuts in all directions

Veteran counselor Joe Honick believes it took no particular leadership for CBS to join the parade to ostracize Imus. As to comments about lingering prejudice and bigotry, Honick says the more regrettable reality is that it cuts in all directions.

He notes that Revs. Sharpton and Jackson virtually convicted the Duke University students involved in the lacrosse/rape story, on both the alleged crimes and their alleged racism. "I have read Jackson's columns where he asserts without qualification: "We know that the two women were abused," said Honick.

This week the world found out that apparently that was not the case, yet massive reaction made the students out to be major league racists. No better were the commentaries of Rush Limbaugh who belittled the accusers without any facts either to praise or condemn, according to Honick.

"What we do know amid all of that nasty rhetoric is there is no call for Jackson to atone for his inexcusable accusations either which were obscene in the lives of innocent people who had not been tried yet and whose government accuser is on the bring of disbarment," said Honick.

"In the end, as with Jimmy the Greek and Howard Cosell, Imus got the boot, probably not forever," said Honick. "But we know that those who have spared no energy in making groundless accusations from time to time against such people remain ensconced in the public media spotlight."

Bigotry, continues Honick, has no place in private or public life at any time, no matter where it comes from, white, brown, black or otherwise.

"Imus' comments were dumb, inexcusable, egregious or worse," he said. "His full record, however, would contend well with many of his accusers. For those holding the clerical titles that call for redemption and forgiveness, they might well re-read their missions in life."