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This Just In…
Politicians offer case study in media mismanagement
February 3, 2009
It would be hard to find three public figures who botched their time in the media spotlight more than Caroline Kennedy, Rod Blagojevich and Sarah Palin, writes Washington Post “Media Notes” columnist Howard Kurtz. Kennedy’s U.S. Senate bid collapsed under negative headlines. Blagojevich lost his governorship last week but then appeared on more than a dozen television shows, insisting that he could not explain the specific allegations against him in detail. Palin, meanwhile, is trying to repair her image after two disastrous interviews led her vice presidential campaign to largely shun the media.
All three have some legitimate gripes, Kurtz says. The late president’s daughter was hit with rumors about her personal life, based on anonymous sources. The Alaska governor’s parenting skills were criticized. The now-former Illinois governor was presumed corrupt without a criminal trial. But everyone knows the rules: Candidates and public officials are expected to hit big-league pitching.
In a forthcoming DVD on the 2008 election, Palin says that “some in the mainstream media” are on a “mission” to “destroy someone’s reputation via thrashing their record, telling lies, spreading gossip and slander.” But like most politicians, Palin can be vague when she doesn’t want to be pinned down. She reportedly objected to CBS News anchor Katie Couric “bugging me” about abortion. If Palin pursues a career in national politics, the questions aren’t going to get any easier, Kurtz says. Kennedy made an inauspicious debut when she walked away from reporters at her first photo op and then stumbled through a series of interviews. Blagojevich, at least, may have turned himself into enough of a freak-show celebrity to land a fat book deal — if he can stay out of jail. — Compiled by Greg Beaubien for Tactics and The Strategist Online
Comments
Alyssa says:
These pols need to learn the subtle art of a quite exit and an artful remake. This is a great observation of three very different people making very similar mistakes
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