by Steve Adubato, PhD

The recent CBS News public fiasco over “memogate” offers a variety of lessons for any organization that faces a public problem over some organizational error or screw up. This column will not focus on issues of journalist ethics but rather on how organizations and leaders should and shouldn’t respond when things go wrong so quickly. The following are some of the mistakes made by CBS main anchor Dan Rather, who has spent over 40 years in the communication business and one might think he would have known better.

• We all make mistakes - that’s not the issue; the issue is what you do once you make them. Your goal is to get the mistake out to the public as quickly as possible, and the negative publicity you’re bound to get behind you. CBS didn’t do this. In fact, quite the opposite. This story has dragged on longer than it should have.

• When you make a mistake you have to be the one to acknowledge it publicly, even if YOU think the criticism that you are facing isn’t fair and/or the entire story isn’t told. All of that is irrelevant. CBS should not have waited for its enemies, competitors and others to challenge the veracity of National Guard documents in question. It’s simple - you have to get ahead of the story, the problem and criticism. The only way to do that is to be willing to admit mistakes and be prepared to apologize before you focus on defending your actions.

• When you do apologize it must be done almost immediately, not 12 days later as was the case with CBS. The original report involving the now highly questionable documents aired on September 8 and no apology or admission of wrongdoing came until September 20. That’s simply too long, particularly these days. The longer it takes to apologize and admit the mistake, the less chance you will be given the benefit of the doubt.

• CBS compounded the problem by essentially attacking its critics saying this was simply a question of competitors and enemies trying to make them look bad. That may be true in part but it’s irrelevant. The motive of your critics is not the issue. The only thing that matters is the conduct of the organization and how it is presented to the public. Criticizing and lashing out only makes you look defensive and weak.

• When you do apologize, it must be full and complete without any caveats or explanations. CBS still hasn’t done that. They have argued the story may be true even though the documents they used to make their point may have been bogus. When you apologize you are not supposed to say “I’m sorry BUT…..” There are no “buts” when you apologize, no caveats, or any further errors being made that are made in good faith are just as irrelevant. Even if they were made in good faith, no one cares. A mistake is a mistake, and explanations really don’t matter - fair or not.

• Finally, apologies should be directed to the people who were hurt, especially President Bush and CBS viewers who have come to trust the organization for their fairness and accuracy. An apology should go to other news organizations who CBS initially blasted in an effort to deflect attention. Once again CBS has not done that. Apologies can’t be general statements that something went wrong but rather directed to those who have been adversely affected by your actions.

• This never should have been an issue of crisis communication or management. It should have simply been about a public error made that was quickly resolved by acknowledging what went wrong and by making a public commitment to get things right in the future. Again, this isn’t about journalism or the media - it’s about organizations and leaders who make decisions in the public domain.

• This is only a case study for how not to handle a public problem - the lessons of this CBS public relations debacle should resonate for businesses, universities, non-profits or any organization or individual that makes mistakes with public implications. As we learned with Watergate, it is rarely the crime that gets you in trouble. It’s usually the cover up. It’s rarely the mistake or error that creates the biggest problem it’s usually the stonewalling, delaying, pointing fingers and lack of willingness to take full responsibility for its actions.

In a world dominated by instantaneous information and a culture constantly playing news media that is constantly looking to play “gotcha,” having a solid “apology strategy “ is an essential element in any organizational communication plan.