Scott-Free; Another Absurd Political Scandal

Remember the line from that old song, "...freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose."
That was what came to mind when I heard about Scott McClellan's new book What Happened.

Free of the prestige and paychecks of his job as chief White House flack, Scott apparently felt he had nothing left to lose in this embarrassing act of self promotion and greed.

For those of you who have slept through the latest Beltway soap opera, the former White House press secretary has written a new memoir about his years in the West Wing. One of the chief claims being that "the Iraq war was sold to the American people with a sophisticated "political propaganda campaign" led by President Bush and aimed at "manipulating sources of public opinion" and "downplaying the major reason for going to war." (Washington Post, Wednesday)

For the journalists who were forced to sit at Scott's feet, daily begging for news morsels, this book is beyond insulting. It's not that he was all that compelling in his role of White House Press Secretary. He wasn't. It was clear he was simply reading talking points provided to him by someone higher on the adminstration's food chain. It's that he condemned others (Richard Clarke for example) for doing precisely what he is doing today. It's a marvelous example of the absurdity of this city.

Interpreting the new book and psycho-analyzing Scott's state of mind was the single most popular activity in your nation's capital over the weekend. Ultimately, it's a Rorschach test; what you think of Scott's book has a lot more to do with you, than it does with Scott.

Newsweek's Elanor Clift for example found it "refreshing", while Bob Dole, well... let's just say Scott is off the Dole's Christmas Card List.

Everywhere you looked today the former Bush loyalist was on television, flacking his book and explaining his new found insights. He says it wasn't until after he left the White House that he realized he had become a pawn in the war propaganda game. Does anybody out there believe that?

As for the people who covered the White House in those days; the general concensus at the time seemed to be that Scott was in over his head. You didn't have to be in the West Wing every day (I certainly was not) in order to conclude that this guy got the job for some reason other than his smarts.

Of course it's not as if Scott is the first former Bush White House official to commit this kind of political and professional suicide. The list, in fact is growing quite long.

The book is only now shipping to bookstores. I have only read excerpts, and as far as I can tell the Washington Post is one of the few news organizations to get their hands on a copy mid week.
That fact in itself is perfectly illustrative of Washington.

... but just like Scott, not knowing what we're talking about doesn't keep us from talking about it. Welcome to Washington. Now, like Scott, we should all go home.

The Church in (Media) Crisis

This is a piece I wrote following Ted Haggard's humilating scandal in November 2006. While there have been some positive comments about how New Life Church in Colorado Springs handled the removal of 'Pastor Ted' there were also some glaring mistakes made that served only to further damage the church and its reputation in community.

It's easy to criticize after the fact, but it's also a good way to plan for the future.

I am posting it now, because every church needs a crisis communications plan that includes dealing with local, and potentially national news media. Thanks for reading on.

Controlling the Media Onslaught
(The Church in Crisis)
by Loretta Cooper

“It’s not the deed… it’s the cover up!” This simple mantra is part of Washington’s political cannon. In many respects it applies to the church in crisis as well.

As a Washington-based television news correspondent I have covered more scandals than I care to recall. As a believer who loves the church, I cringe when my own community finds itself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

No one in ministry likes to think about managing a very public scandal, let alone preparing for one. It’s a bit like advanced funeral planning; it’s a difficult subject to broach, but it can preserve your ministry and your reputation in the community if done effectively.

Of course every situation is different, but there are a few key variables that should be defined well in advance of a crisis.

First, who will be the church’s spokesperson? Generally speaking it should not be a member of the pastoral staff or family member. Media representatives will have more confidence in a spokesperson with access to the principal, but also some distance from the crisis. Wisdom and practicality dictate that your representative be an elder or church leader with maturity, objectivity and credibility; a person who will already be part of the crisis ‘recovery team’. The spokesperson should be an effective communicator who will be comfortable speaking to reporters, and possibly even before cameras.

What should the spokesperson say? This should be obvious, speak only the truth. We all know that honesty is always the best policy, but time and experience have taught us that it not always the first human impulse. (Remember Adam in the garden?) It is foolish to lie to a reporter, and insane to do it in front of rolling cameras. It will always come back to bite you. Always.

When should the spokesperson speak? Only after the facts have been assembled. Dribbling out new bits of information day after day only ‘keeps the story alive’ in newsrooms and drags out the ordeal for everyone involved. Get your information assembled. Draft a statement and deliver it as quickly as justice and mercy will allow. In the meantime, craft a simple statement you can give reporters anxious about their next deadline. “Our goal is to give you the best answer we possibly can, and right now we just don’t have enough information. As soon as we do, I will be back to you.” It doesn’t have to be substantive; it just has to assure them of your good faith. Never let the words “no comment” pass your lips.

Be aware that releasing information on a weekend will also drag out the story another day, as it will be revived for all those Monday morning news shows. Your goal in media management should be to get the facts out quickly, and assign this event to the ‘old news’ pile as soon as possible.

Finally, the individuals directly involved in the crises should be secluded, never speaking to reporters. These individuals need to be surrounding by caring and compassionate friends, not making television appearances.