Mr. Media Training

Next Tuesday, millions of Americans will head to their local polling places to select the next President of the United States.

It’s about time. We’ve been subjected to a two-year campaign in which the candidates have been on our television screens for hundreds of hours. Most of those hours have been unremarkable—but a few memorable moments turned into PR disasters for the campaigns.

This post will highlight the ten worst media disasters of the 2012 presidential campaign.

You will notice that there are more Republicans than Democrats on my list. That’s not due to political bias, but simple math: There were eight Republicans competing for their party’s nomination, while President Obama ran unopposed. Republicans debated one another during the primaries almost two dozen times; President Obama debated no one on the Democratic side.

Therefore, Republicans were much more visible during much of the campaign, occupied a lot of the media airtime and headlines, and had more opportunities to make mistakes. For that reason only, you’ll see more of them on this list.

10. Newt Gingrich: I’m Going To Be The Nominee

Last December, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich made a confident declaration:

“I’m going to be the nominee. It’s very hard not to look at the recent polls and think that the odds are very high I’m going to be the nominee.”

Mr. Gingrich’s time at the top of the polls quickly ended after he declared his intent to build a moon colony by 2020. He ended up carrying only one state outside his native Georgia.

9. Michele Bachmann’s Dubious “Mental Retardation” Claim

Michele Bachmann opposes a mandated HPV vaccine, which helps protects young women from cervical cancer. But she went a step too far when she shared an anecdote about a woman on the campaign trail who said her daughter “suffers from mental retardation” as a result of getting the vaccine.

Rep. Bachmann later defended herself by claiming she was just passing along a story without judging it as true. But her dubious medical claim put at risk people who decided to forgo the vaccine as a result of her misinformation.

8. President Obama: “The Private Sector is Doing Fine”

At a press conference in June, President Obama uttered a phrase he came to regret.

While speaking about the economy, he said, “The private sector is doing fine.” By some measurements, that may have been true. But by making such a declarative statement, he handed his opponents a perfect opportunity to paint him as an out-of-touch politician who was disconnected from economic reality.

7.  Herman Cain’s “Rolling Disclosures”

When faced with allegations of sexual harassment last November, Herman Cain responded in the worst possible way: with a series of “rolling disclosures.”

“Rolling disclosures” occur when a spokesperson fails to disclose everything they know from the start, opting instead to drip out information slowly. As a result, every time the spokesperson reveals a new detail—no matter how trivial—new oxygen gets pumped into the story. That approach has the net effect of extending the shelf life of the crisis while diminishing the believability of each new iteration of the story.

Herman Cain’s time at the top of the polls ended due not to the allegations—but his handling of the allegations.

6. Mitt Romney’s $10,000 Bet

When Mitt Romney turned to Republican primary opponent Rick Perry and challenged him to a “$10,000 bet,” he reinforced his image as an out-of-touch rich guy. It wasn’t just his $10,000 bet. He also told one audience that his wife drives two Cadillacs, told another that they should just borrow money from their parents if they’re short of cash, and told a radio host that although he doesn’t watch NASCAR, he’s friends with some team owners.

5. President Obama’s “You Didn’t Build That” and Mitt Romney’s “I Like Being Able to Fire People”

I’m judging both of these as equal gaffes—mostly because both lines were taken out of context by political opponents.

Opponents accused President Obama of saying that small business owners didn’t build their own businesses but that government did. (In reality, he appeared to be saying that business owners didn’t build the roads that led customers to their doors or the Internet they use to conduct business.)

Opponents accused Governor Romney of saying that he liked to fire people. (In reality, he appeared to be saying that he liked being able to cancel policies from bad health insurance companies.)

Regardless, both lines were damaging to both candidates. And it proves that in this media age, you can’t afford to commit the deadly seven-second stray.

4. Herman Cain Draws a Blank on Libya

We’ve all had that terrible moment when we’ve gone completely blank. Unfortunately for Herman Cain, his moment was caught on video. When he was asked why he opposed President Obama’s policy in Libya, let’s just say he struggled to come up with an answer.

3. Mitt Romney’s Secret “47 Percent” Video

At a May fundraiser, Mitt Romney shared his views of President Obama’s voters in a secretly filmed video that was later leaked to the liberal Mother Jones Magazine. In the video, Mr. Romney, said:

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it….My job is not to worry about those people.”

The video was a disaster for Mr. Romney’s campaign, taking them far off their desired messages just two months before Election Day.

2. President Obama’s First Debate

In terms of sheer political impact, little comes close to President Obama’s lackluster performance in the first presidential debate. As Mitt Romney attacked his record, Mr. Obama responded without any discernible passion, instead making meandering points full of “uhhhs.”

As a result, Governor Romney delivered a humiliating thumping to the President, who sank in the polls almost immediately. If President Obama loses next Tuesday, historians will cite this debate as a major reason why. If he wins, it will be a lot closer than it otherwise could have been.

This media disaster ranks number two for only one reason: This list is intended to look at short media moments, not entire debates. But this debate was just too impactful to ignore.

The video below is an edited compilation of some of Mr. Obama’s many “uhhhs.” It’s emblematic of how hesitant and unfocused he was throughout the debate.

1. Rick Perry’s Infamous “Oops”

During a Republican primary debate in November 2011, Texas Governor Rick Perry confidently declared that he would eliminate three government agencies. Unfortunately for him, he promptly forgot what they were.

For 47 painful seconds, Mr. Perry tried to recall the third agency he would eliminate. He finally gave up, shrugged his shoulders, and lamely said, “oops.” That one moment likely sank any remaining chances Mr. Perry had of winning the nomination. In terms of an immediate and spectacular self-immolation, nothing came even close.

Please don’t leave yet! If you like my blog, please enter your email address in the box on the upper right side of the blog to receive our most popular posts 2-3 times each month.

You may remember Dr. Lynn Beckwith, chairman of the St. Louis-area Riverview Gardens School District.

He’s the man who feared a dastardly “walking away” shot after an ambush interview had ended—and therefore refused to walk away from the reporter. You can read about that incident in my earlier post, “Whatever You Do, Don’t Back Up!”

I came across another video of Dr. Beckwith’s strange media approach recently (I missed this clip when it originally aired in May 2011), proving that the first one wasn’t an anomaly.

I could list several things Dr. Beckwith did wrong in this interview, but one stands out above all others: he forgot who his audience was.

Beckwith appears to hold this reporter in low regard (that’s a generous understatement), but it shouldn’t matter. His conversation is supposed to be aimed at the audience—not the reporter—and it’s hard to imagine that this interview did much to increase public trust in Beckwith’s job performance.

Don’t miss any media gaffes! Stay in touch on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MrMediaTraining and on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/MrMediaTraining.

It’s such a shame men can’t beat their disobedient wives these days. So says one television evangelist, whose dumb remark earned him a spot on the September worst video media disasters list.

He’s not alone. Joining him is a politician who was recorded without his knowledge, some inept referees, and a candidate for office who steals—yup, steals—somebody else’s video camera.

Without any further ado, here are the five worst video media disasters from September 2012!

5. Congressional Candidate Takes a Cameraman’s Camera

New Hampshire Democrat Ann McLane Kuster is running for a congressional seat.

When her opponent sent a “tracker” to film her event and ask a question—a common occurrence in modern day politics—Ms. Kuster proceeded to take his camera, threaten to keep it, and swear on camera.

In doing so, Ms. Kuster handed her opponent the gift of an embarrassing (and completely unnecessary) viral video.

4. Pat Robertson Recommends Wife Beating

I can’t even find the right words to describe this video. Horrific? Awful? Prehistoric?

Welcome to evangelist Pat Robertson’s strange world, in which wife beating is a suitable fix for a disrespectful wife.

“I don’t think we condone wife beating these days, but something has to be done,” Robertson tells a viewer with marital problems. And since the scripture says you can’t beat her, “move to Saudi Arabia,” he suggests, where she can be beaten. Unreal.

3. Democrats Reject God and/or Jerusalem at Convention

Democrats removed a reference to God and failed to state that Jerusalem is the Israeli capital in its official party platform. Republicans immediately attacked that decision. Recognizing the potential PR backlash, Democrats sought to reinsert that language by holding a voice vote with delegates.

But Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who led delegates in three voice votes, seemed to overrule their vote (to pass, the voice vote required agreement among two-thirds of delegates; the vote sounded even but Villaraigosa overruled the crowd).

The crowd erupted into boos. It’s hard to know whether the boos were for God or Israel (as Republicans charged), for the unfair process (as Democrats claim), or some combination of both. But what’s undeniable is that this moment handed opponents an easy line of attack.

2.  NFL Replacement Referees Blow The Game

When the National Football League’s referees were locked out over a labor dispute, their replacements blew numerous calls on the field. But the worst moment came at the end of a Monday Night Football game between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, when they refs called what appeared to be a game-ending interception a touchdown. As a result, Seattle won a game they shouldn’t have – and fans rebelled.

Even anti-union politicians suddenly called for the “real” refs to return. The NFL quickly responded by giving in to most of the union’s demands, and they got their real refs back within days. You knew who fans sided with when they gave an unprecedented standing ovation to the refs during their first game back.

1. Mitt Romney’s Hidden “47 Percent” Video

If you vote for President Obama, you’re dependent on government and will never take personal responsibility or care for your life. So said Mitt Romney in a secretly taped video shot in May and released by Mother Jones Magazine earlier this month.

The video instantly damaged his candidacy, with criticism coming from fellow Republicans including Peggy Noonan, Bill Kristol, and Joe Scarborough.

This video, by itself, will not cause Governor Romney to lose in November. But if he does lose November’s election, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to look back to this video as the moment that sealed his fate.

Bonus Video 1: Dr. Jill Biden Speaks About Her Husband’s Big…Well…

I’m afraid that including this video reveals a bit too much about my juvenile sense of humor. But how can you not love this speech by Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, complete with not one, not two, but three accidental puns?

Bonus Video 2: Congresswoman Thinks Slavery Existed in 1898

When Congresswoman Yvette Clark (D-NY) appeared on “The Colbert Report,” she seemed to think that slavery still existed in Brooklyn in 1898. Their captors? According to her, it was the Dutch.

Have the best of the blog delivered to your inbox twice per month! Enter your name in the box on the upper right of the blog to join our mailing list.

Kiss my ass!

They’ll put you back in chains!

Legitimate rape!

Those loaded statements can only mean one thing: It’s time for this month’s worst media disasters list. And folks, this month was a doozy.

Without any further ado, here are the five worst media disasters of August 2012!

5. Yahoo News Editor Gets Caught on a Hot Mic

Yahoo News’ Washington Bureau Chief, David Chalian, was caught on a hot microphone earlier this week for expressing a rather ugly view of Mitt Romney.

Speaking about Romney’s decision to proceed with the Republican National Convention in light of Hurricane Isaac making landfall, Chalian said: “They are happy to have a party with black people drowning.”

Yahoo fired him immediately afterwards.

4. Romney Spokesperson Tells Reporters to “Kiss My Ass”

Mitt Romney’s overseas trip was a bit of a disaster. But the most comical moment occurred toward the end of his trip when his traveling press secretary, Rick Gorka, snapped at the press corps.

I’ll admit it: The reporters in this video were acting boorishly. It’s not that they didn’t have a right to shout questions – in fact, Mitt Romney’s refusal to answer their questions throughout the trip necessitated it. But their superficial questions about gaffes made them look bad.

Unfortunately, Mr. Gorka took the bait:

In what has to be one of the most unintentionally contradictory statements of the year, Gorka scolded the press by saying, “Kiss my ass. This is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect.”

He was quickly sidelined by the campaign.

3. Vice President Biden Tells Crowd Republicans Will Put Them “Back In Chains”

When speaking to the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, Va. earlier this month, Joe Biden used an unfortunate choice of words that instantly triggered accusations of racism.

He told the crowd, in which many African Americans were present:

“Romney wants to let the — he said in the first hundred days, he’s going to let the big banks once again write their own rules, unchain Wall Street. They’re going to put you all back in chains.”

Biden denied that his comments had any racial context, but it doesn’t matter. Politicians should have learned to avoid such rhetorical traps from Ross Perot’s infamous 1992 “you people” remark.

2. Clint Eastwood Hijacks Mitt Romney’s Big Night

Last night, Mitt Romney accepted his party’s nomination to become the Republican candidate for President. He proceeded to deliver one of the best speeches of his political life. Unfortunately, actor Clint Eastwood – who took the stage minutes before him – stole many of the headlines Romney had earned.

Eastwood took the stage, accompanied by a bar stool. For 11 painful minutes, Eastwood proceeded to address the bar stool, as if it was President Obama. It was off-message, bizarre, and embarrassing – and the news media spent precious minutes gossiping about Eastwood instead of Romney.

This one has to be seen to be believed.

1. Senate Candidate Offers Strange View of “Legitimate Rape”

In this era of endless partisan squabbling, it’s refreshing to see true bipartisanship in action. For a few days earlier this month, one politician brought opposite sides together – Republicans including Mitt Romney, Karl Rove, and Sean Hannity were all in rare agreement with Democrats such as President Obama, David Axelrod, and Rachel Maddow.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the kind of bipartisanship that Republican Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin was going for. His controversial (and scientifically incorrect) assertions about rape caused a firestorm, with most prominent members of his own party begging him to quit the race:

“From what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

Despite the mounting pressure, he’s still in the race. For now.

Bonus Video 1: Ryan Lochte Is a Great Swimmer, But…

Olympic champion Ryan Lochte is a great swimmer. But judging from his media interviews, he’s not likely to get signed on as a network commentator any time soon.

Bonus Video 2: The Next President of The United States?

While announcing Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney inadvertently called him “The next President of the United States.”

Although this was a gaffe, it was also emblematic of a larger point: Small media mistakes, when handled gracefully, can actually enhance the reputation of the person who commits it. I found this to be one of the most human moments of Romney’s entire campaign, and enjoyed seeing him display his unguarded sense of humor. He should allow the public to see more of this appealing side of his personality.

Have the best of the blog delivered to your inbox twice per month! Enter your name in the box on the upper right of the blog to join our mailing list.

A politician heckles his disabled opponent.

A killer says his act was “God’s will.”

A journalist implies that Tea Partiers have a connection to mass murder.

Those three things can only mean one thing: It’s time for the five worst video media disasters of July!

5. Congressman Questions Heroism of His Legless Opponent

Republican Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh, who is running for re-election, never served in the U.S. military. His opponent, Democrat Tammy Duckworth, lost both of her legs while co-piloting a Black Hawk helicopter in Iraq.

So what did Walsh do? He criticized her for talking about her military service and questioned whether she was a “real hero.”

4. George Zimmerman Says Trayvon Martin’s Killing Was “God’s Plan”

After seeing Jerry Sandusky’s painful television interview with Bob Costas, you would think that George Zimmerman’s lawyers would have thought twice before putting Trayvon Martin’s killer on television. (If you haven’t been following the case, Trayvon Martin was an unarmed African American teenager; Zimmerman was a local “Neighborhood Watch” captain.)

No such luck. When asked by host Sean Hannity whether he had any regrets about the night of Martin’s killing, Zimmerman said he didn’t, adding, “I feel that it was all God’s plan.” 

3. President Obama: "You Didn’t Build That.”

The President’s clumsy phrasing of a key line during a recent speech led to criticism from his opponent and a harmful political ad. Here’s what President Obama said:

"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet."

Mitt Romney’s campaign quickly reacted with an ad featuring an outraged entrepreneur reacting to this line: “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

It seems clear to me that the President wasn’t saying that. The “that” in the sentence clearly appears to be modifying roads and bridges, and his meaning appears to be that governments have funded important items (e.g. infrastructure and the Internet) that allow business to thrive.

I expect that conservatives will charge me with “bias” for that conclusion, but I felt differently about the President’s “The private sector is doing fine” quip, for which he deserved criticism – and I said so at the time.

So why am I including this on the list? Because in an age when badly phrased ideas become toxic political ads, politicians (unfortunately) have no margin for error. This wouldn’t have been an issue if he had clarified the subject of his sentence more precisely, saying something such as, “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build the roads and highways that lead your customers there. The government did.”

2. ABC Reporter Brian Ross Equates Tea Party With Mass Murder

Just hours after the shooting that killed 12 people in Aurora, Colorado, ABC Investigative Reporter Brian Ross went on Good Morning America to share something “significant” that he had learned.

Anchor George Stephanopoulos: “You found something that might be significant.”

Reporter Brian Ross: “There is a Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado…on the Colorado Tea Party site as well, talking about him joining the Tea Party last year.”

Two things: First, since when is being in the Tea Party synonymous with mass homicide? Ross seemed to be suggesting that his membership in the Tea Party was somehow revealing. Second, he had the wrong Jim Holmes. Ross later apologized.

1. Mitt Romney’s Rough Start in London

Mitt Romney had hoped to establish his foreign policy bona fides during his first international trip as the presumptive Republican nominee. Instead, he insulted his foreign hosts when asked whether London was ready for their moment in the spotlight.

Instead of offering the diplomatic platitudes one might expect, Governor Romney said, “It’s hard to know just how well it will turn out. There are a few things that were disconcerting.”

In response, British Prime Minister mocked Mr. Romney’s tenure as the head of the Salt Lake City Olympics, saying: “Of course, it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere.”

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

If you enjoyed this article, would you please help me reach a larger audience by sharing it with your social networks? Share buttons are below. Thank you!

Bonus Video 1: Chris Christie Takes “Jersey Shore” Too Literally

While strolling on a Jersey Shore boardwalk, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie got criticized by a man who didn’t like his education policy. Mr. Christie followed the man, shouting, “You’re a real big shot. You’re a real big shot. You’re a real big shot, shooting your mouth off.”

In this video, the Governor looks more like The Situation than the state’s chief executive. And you wonder why New Jersey gets a reputation.

Bonus Video 2: San Diego’s 15-Second July 4^th Fireworks Show

San Diego’s big fireworks show was supposed to last for 15 minutes. But due to a technical failure, all of the fireworks were launched at the same moment, leading to one of the shortest fireworks displays of all time.

In 30 spectacular seconds, the fireworks show began with the grand finale, ended prematurely, and left thousands of disappointed people wanting more. 

Have the best of the blog delivered to your inbox twice per month! Enter your name in the box on the upper right of the blog to join our mailing list.

In an effort to boost his foreign policy experience, presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney embarked on a week-long, three-country tour yesterday that will take him to England, Israel and Poland.

Based on his performance in England, I’m hoping he doesn’t attempt Jewish and Polish jokes during his next two stops.

Governor Romney began his tour of England by sitting down with NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams. When asked a softball question, Mr. Romney gave an answer that didn’t exactly demonstrate his international savior-faire:

NBC Anchor Brian Williams: “In the short time you’ve been in London, do they look ready to your experienced eye?”

Governor Mitt Romney: “You know, it’s hard to know just how well it will turn out. There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging. Because in the games, there are three parts that makes games successful….but number three are the people of the country. Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment? And that’s something which we only find out once the games actually begin.”

Those comments caused a bit of an international incident. British Prime Minister David Cameron—a conservative—retorted by pointedly knocking Mr. Romney’s experience as the head of the Salt Lake City Olympics:

"We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere."

And London Mayor Boris Johnson told a group of 60,000 people in Hyde Park that:

“There are some people coming from around the world who don’t yet know if we are ready. There’s a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know whether we are ready. Are we ready?”  (crowd screams “yes!”)

David Cameron and Mitt Romney's Awkward Meeting. Photo AP Charles Dharapk

And that one gaffe wasn’t the only one. According to The Guardian, Mr. Romney said that he had been "looking out of the backside of 10 Downing Street" (regarded in England as looking out the “ass” of 10 Downing Street), and called the head of the British opposition party by the wrong title.

Even worse, I couldn’t help cringing during tonight’s NBC Nightly News, in which Mr. Romney said (in an interview taped yesterday):

“We’re at a point here where we have two different roads we can go down. One leads to Europe. The other leads to the kind of dynamism and prosperity, which has always characterized America.”

That may seem rather tame, but remember: He made those comments while in Europe, trying to charm Europe. That’s kind of like charming your first date by telling her she might want to rethink the burger and order a salad instead. 

Gov. Romney may be right on the facts. But being an accurate truth-spouter isn’t the purpose of his overseas trip. His goal was to earn headlines as someone capable of being a strong international leader and to demonstrate that he understands at least the basic precepts of diplomacy. He isn’t succeeding, and worse, may have turned this trip into a net negative.

As a media trainer, the surprising thing to me is his gracelessness. He could have made all of the same points without offending anyone simply by calibrating his language more carefully. Is London ready? “Well, there have been troubling reports, but England is a great and proud country and I’m confident they’ll pull it off.”

Despite Mr. Romney’s lousy introduction to one of America’s most reliable allies, his gaffes may be erased by the calendar. When the Opening Ceremony takes place tomorrow, most Americans’ attention will shift from politics to sports. And his gaffes will be largely forgotten after he names his running mate, stars in the Republican convention, and participates in three presidential debates.

But just to be safe, perhaps Mr. Romney should simply nod and smile in Israel and Poland instead of pontificating near microphones?

What do you think? Do these gaffes matter, or are they much ado about nothing? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Dr. Lynn Beckwith, the chairman of a local St. Louis-area school board, became a bit of a laughingstock lately after an odd interaction with a local television reporter.

As you’ll see in the video below, Dr. Beckwith started off on the wrong foot by offering snippy answers to the reporter. He forgot that the reporter wasn’t his audience—the parents, teachers, and community members were. And he unnecessarily came off looking petty and hostile as a result.

But that wasn’t what made this interview memorable. It was his refusal to walk away from the reporter.

It’s easy to mock Dr. Beckwith’s approach, and he certainly shouldn’t have announced on camera why he didn’t want to walk away. But his instinct to prevent the reporter from getting the “back to camera” shot was exactly right.

In fact, in a recent series about how to survive ambush interviews, I wrote: 

“To avoid the devastating “walking away with back to camera” shot, consider continuing to face the reporter as you walk backwards, delivering the same message a second time. Deny them the defensive-looking visual!”

I didn’t think to mention in that article something that I thought was rather obvious—that walking backwards only works to expanse a short distance (think one end of an office to another)—and not a yards-long parking lot. So what can Dr. Beckwith do if this happens again?

1. Do a Walk and Talk: Instead of standing in the parking lot like a man under siege, he could have invited the reporter and camera crew to walk with him to the front door of the building as he delivered his comments. 

2. Invite Them Inside: Dr. Beckwith could have invited the camera crew and the reporter inside the building to do a more rightful interview. He could have asked them to put the camera down and walk with him into the building so they could find a suitable place to speak.

3. Walk Away (The Right Way): Dr. Beckwith was right that this is a less-than-ideal option. But he could have at least diminished the bad optics by turning back to the reporter a time or two during his walk to the front door, cheerfully telling him: “I hope you’ll call my office tomorrow morning to schedule an interview. I’m late for a meeting, but would be delighted to speak with you.”

By the way, yes, the reporter’s closing line was a gratuitous cheap shot. But Dr. Beckwith is somewhat lucky the reporter took it, since it likely shifted at least a little audience sympathy his way. 

If you enjoyed this article, would you please help me reach a larger audience by sharing it with your social networks? Share buttons are below. Thank you!

h/t Roula Amire, Tripp Frolichstein

When some people learn that I’m a media trainer, their first reaction is to say, “Oh, so you teach people how to spin?”

I patiently explain (usually) that ethical media trainers don’t teach people to spin, since effective communication requires answering direct questions and offering authentic responses that don’t feel canned.

Evasion, obfuscation, spinning, dodging, hedging, sidestepping, and waffling doesn’t usually work.

If you're going to refuse to answer direct and obvious questions, should you turn down the interview?

Carlos Gutierrez, Co-Chair of the Romney Campaign’s Hispanic Steering Committee, proved the point when he appeared on CNN’s Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien last week. O’Brien’s rather direct question? “What is Mitt Romney’s position on SB 1070?” (SB 1070 refers to the controversial Arizona immigration policy.)

As you’ll see, Mr. Gutierrez was completely unprepared to offer a direct response. And she hammered him for it.

Even more damning, Ms. O’Brien played a clip from Rick Gorka, the Traveling Press Secretary for the Romney campaign, in which he, too, refused to comment on SB 1070.

After watching these exchanges, the public is left to conclude only one thing: The Romney campaign is terrified of the issue, wants to sidestep it, and isn’t willing to take a principled stand on immigration policy in either direction.

If I had been preparing Mr. Gutierrez for this interview, I would have told him that his answer was insufficient – especially because Ms. O’Brien is known as a challenging interviewer who asks tough follow-up questions. I would have advised him to either answer the question more directly or to bail on the interview altogether. Ms. O’Brien was right to press him for a direct response—I wish more interviewers followed her lead—and Mr. Gutierrez should have been willing to offer a better answer.

But that’s just my opinion. What’s yours?

 Loading ...