FUMBLE: MISS CALIFORNIA GETS PERSONAL

Disclaimer: I am in no way an expert on pageants. But last weekend’s Miss USA contest provided a great example of the communications rule regarding which hat you wear when you speak to the media. Think of it this way: if your name is John Doe and you work for the Green Company, your name is essentially John ‘Green’ when you do a media interview. Even if you are attempting to express purely personal comments, they will invariably be seen as, in fact, the views of the Green Company. It seems obvious, but is often overlooked. Case in point: Miss California Carrie Prejean was widely considered to be in the lead to win the Miss USA title until the final judge’s question was asked. As the Associated Press reported, “the buzz backstage was that Prejean had the competition ‘in the bag,’ and many of the contestants were surprised when Miss North Carolina scooped the sash.” What happened? The Internet has been abuzz with assertions that it was Prejean’s answer to judge and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton’s question about gay marriage that cost her the crown. She began her answer with reasonable comments about the right to choose in America (which only exists in four states). But then she veered into her own personal opinion. “I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.” At that point, Prejean had stopped speaking as a potential national figure representing the Miss USA organization, and started speaking for herself. That doesn’t work, in most cases. It’s very dangerous. The vast majority of observers feel it cost her the title – she finished as first runner-up – but more importantly it demonstrated the perils of forgetting the context in which you speak to the media, and on whose behalf you are speaking.