Media Training Blog from Women Media Pros | womenmediapros.com

  Home      323-899-3883      pros@WomenMediaPros.com 

Crisis Communication: David Letterman's dilemma

By Suzanne Spurgeon  October 4, 2009

David Letterman is the talk of the town; make that country.  Everyone is weighing in on David's dilemma.  NBC's Ann Curry says women view the situation differently than men. The New York Post is referring to Letterman as "Dirty Dave".  I would have advised Letterman to break the news exactly as he did; in front of a friendly audience on his own terms.  It didn't take long though for the media to shift the focus from the actions of the alleged blackmailer to the actions of the late night host himself.  Letterman showed bad judgment having sex with women who worked for him.  But the point needs to be made, he was single and no woman has alleged sexual harassment.  But it is a thin line; one that gets crossed in many work places.  And that's why Ann Curry is probably right; women may not think Dave is completely innocent in this ugly story. 

Letterman is a victim but perhaps not an "innocent" victim.  He should be applauded for going to authorities and not trying to buy his way out of an embarrassing situation.  But, his actions on the job opened the door to all sorts of problems for himself, the network, and the women involved.  Just how quickly this story fades depends on many factors.  If we see a plea bargain, the story moves along quickly. If no woman says she felt pressured by Dave, the story begins to diminish. When another major, celebrity story comes along, the story moves to the backburner. 

Letterman would be wise, I believe, to avoid further public comments while the dust settles.  He will be the brunt of other people's jokes for a while, but I think he can take it.     
 

 

 

Share

Leave a Comment:

 

Search Blog


Subscribe to Blog



Categories


Tags

Alex Rodriguez Always packaging Amazon slavery AMC Movie Theater AMC Theaters apologies Assassination attempt Back to work Bad press BBC Bella Shaw Beyoncé country music Bilingual media training Bilingual news conferences Brand management Cereal for dinner Chipotle Chris Christie CNN Coca-Cola Coronavirus Corporate Communications COVID concerns Crisis Communications Cristiano Ronaldo Cryptocurrency Cub Scouts Debates Delta Airlines DNC Donna Karen Dunkin Donuts Dwayne Johnson Emma Watson Flint FTX Garth Brooks Gayle King Harvey Weinstein Hawaii missile threat Help for Small Businesses Hooters Houston Astros Inclusivity Instagram eavesdropping internal communications Jeffrey Lord Joe Rogan John McCain John Stamos Justine Ruszczyk Kaley Cuoco Kanye West Kardashian Kevin Spacey Kobe statue Lara Spencer Law Enforcement Lawrence O'Donnell live streaming Louis C.K. marginalized Maui fires me too Media media relations Media Training Megan and Harry Messaging MGM Minneapolis police shooting Mooch Naomi Osaka News conferences Olympics Oprah interview PBS Fireworks Pokemon Go politicians President Biden Press conferences Prince George Princess Kate Public Relations Red Cross Reputation management RNC Robert Kennedy Jr. Royal Family Saatchi & Saatchi Scaramucci Secret Service Director social media sound bites Storytelling Suzanne Spurgeon The French Open The Gap The Panama Papers Tide pod challenge TV interviews Twitter Twitter bullying United Airlines Vanity Fair cover Video Production Virtual media training Wendy’s surge pricing White Castle Whoopi woke Women Media Pros Ye Yuri Gurriel
Providing  MEDIA TRAINING services in: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Milwaukee and cities worldwide
Call:  323-899-3883    Email: pros@WomenMediaPros 


Copyright © 2021 Women Media Pros