As some of you know, my cat disappeared this past week, and I have been a mess. I thought for sure that she was dead. Well last night she showed up, she needed to be rushed to the Emergency Vet, and her leg needs to be amputated, so naturally I have been a mess over that too. Thank god though because she is alive and well, minus the major problem. So I apologize to you, my classmates and professor, as I have not actively participated this time around.
With all that being said... A sex scandal has emerged within South Africa. Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls has become a major news headline, as alleged sex scandals have surfaced. This is an important matter not only for the world, but also for this class, as this may be a venue for the NAAMHC public relations campaign. Luckily for IBM and us, I think Oprah Winfrey has done an amazing job handling this PR fiasco.
RESEARCH: According to Daily Mail on October 29, 2007, Oprah Winfrey has made multiple (at least two) personal appearances at the school over the past few weeks. She has spoken with all the girls and parents to figure out exactly what has happened. "She organized an independent investigation headed by Richard Farley, a Chicago detective who specializes in child abuse," according to AdelaideNow. According to Yahoo News, Oprah also encouraged counseling for all students, and encouraged them to come forward. Currently there are only 7 formal complaintants. Unfortunately I can't remember the television program I watched on this, but it did say that Oprah also gave each girl in the academy a cell phone to call her directly if they wanted to talk to her.
PLANNING: Oprah Winfrey made lots of plans. Her first step was to contact the police, and hire a private investigator. She was told not to communicate to the public until investigations were ended, so she did not to jeopardize the case. She also began removing all matrons from the school, as they had hid details and allegations of abuse from her. Basically every single employee was being replaced. She also planned how to speak with the American public, as well as the parents of these kids. Her press conferences were to be held in America and in South Africa.
COMMUNICATION: Oprah Winfrey did an amazing job communicating to her publics. According to WBZTV (Which also has a nice video that I couldn't get into this post), Oprah held press conferences and apologized to the parents and students, as well as her fans. She claimed she was devastated from this scandal, and she is doing everything to correct it. She took full responsibility for what happened, and stated that there was a flaw with her hiring and screening process, even though she did not hire the faculty, she still took responsibility for it. News anchors, such as the one featured on WBZTV's site, praised Oprah and said that politicians and other celebrities should learn from the way Oprah communicates.
EVALUATION: I think Oprah did an amazing job handling this case, which is a good sign for our NAAMHC case study. She held nothing back. She took responsibility, personally handled investigations and telling the police, communicated with the students, parents and fans, and kicked PR butt. Oprah is a classic showing of good PR. She handled it well when she found out the author of A Million Little Pieces lied about his "Autobiography" and she apologized them as well. She is really a great example of a truthful, honest, and great public communicator. Lets all take a hint from her in the future with our handling of PR fiascos.
4 comments:
I agree that this case is a prime example of good, honest Public Relations. She took personal responsibility for anything and everything. Because Oprah is such a celebrity I found it surprising that she was so involved in helping deal with the problem (i.e. giving cell phones and her personal number to the girls in the program) Not only did Oprah handle this case using proper PR tactics but she upheld her outstanding image among Hollywoods elite. Go Oprah!
Sorry to hear about your cat, but glad to hear she is alive and better! I won't take any points off from you for being blog inactive.
Oprah kinda owns the world. Well maybe not the entire world, but she at least owns a large percentage! That said, she is "the man!" (No offense ladies, it is just an expression). She definitely responded to this case very well, and has taken the right steps to address this problem. Would we expect anything less from Oprah though? She does have the money, publicity and power to get it all done the best and most efficient. Also, good example with James Frey, the author of "A million little pieces-" Oprah surely took care of that case fast and effectively!
Good post Heather.
I agree with my fellow classmates, Oprah has always handled herself well with her publics. She always manages to win their eyes by doing nothing less or more than OPRAH!! I feel that this is a great example of what TO DO when handling a crisis situation as this. I agree with Dan when he says that Oprah is 'the man,' because she's doing the dang thing! haha.
I think that Oprah should take it a step further though and run for President. I'd vote for her and I'm sure half the world would too!
Heather,
This was a great example of "good pr." Oprah was smart and acknowledged that there was a problem immediately instead of waiting around. She also took the necessary step in visiting the school a couple times to sort things out. I was shocked at the fact that Oprah gave all the children cell phones to contact her personally, that's unreal. I knew Oprah was a very generous woman, but damn. The halo over her head just keeps getting brighter.
Devo,
You are probably right. A ton of people would most likely vote for Oprah. That would be such a fiasco but it would be entertaining.
Good analysis Heather. Glad your kitty cat came back.
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