Just when I thought I could get back to my standard how-to-get-publicity blog posts, one of my fellow Twitterers, @TheJennTaFur alerted me to this story from the New York Times:
The story is about how several Secret Service supervisors engaged in crude sexual jokes and racially derogatory banter about blacks including a “funny” anectdote about how Rev. Jesse Jackson would be assasinated.
Is this the same secret service charged with protecting our president–the most powerful person in the free world? Is this the same Secret Service that would protect Barack Obama should he be elected? If so, I can’t help but wonder how far they would really go to protect him.
Adding fuel to this fire is the fact that a spokesman at the Secret Service headquarters in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
NOTE TO SECRET SERVICE: PR/Crisis Communications rule number one = never flat out refuse a request for comment. That suggests guilt, lack of leadership and a lack of concern for sensitive situations.
When faced with scenarios like this, major agencies, corporations or government organizations have an obligation to issue a comment immediately. Otherwise, the public and theorists like me are left to come to their own wacky, outlandish conclusions. Add a blog and TWITTER to the mix and that’s a combination for disaster.
On the other hand, most people could care less about racially or politically charged remarks unless they’re made by the former pastor of a Black presidential candidate. We’ll see how far this story goes. http://snipurl.com/secretserv
3 Comments
May 11, 2008 at 12:44 am
Thank you for addressing this very highly sensitive and critical issue. A few years ago in the Washington Post a similar story was shared but I never remember it being investigated any further. This truly alarms me!
Post Magazine
This week: The Secret Service, in Black and White
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/01/magazine/perl0108.htm
May 12, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Greetings, Monique. I was not to sure if you were aware of this recent book about a black man who was a body guard for President Kennedy. I have not read it but I am going to get it. Maybe this is a story that you can investigate even more?
The Echo from Dealey Plaza: The true story of the first African American on the White House Secret Service detail and his quest for justice after the assassination of JFK (Hardcover) by Abraham Bolden
http://tinyurl.com/4az86q
May 13, 2008 at 9:43 am
Thanks for the update Jenn. Maybe I can get the author on my show. I’ll tweet you if I do: http://www.twitter.com/MoniqueCaradine