There is way, way too much sexual misconduct in the workplace. It’s not all the same — we’re lumping together actors targeting 14-year-old boys, comedians knocking out and raping women, and politicians squeezing buttocks. But while the offenses are varied, the responses aren’t. They tend to come in one of three formats. While every lascivious…
On Papa John’s most recent earnings call, its CEO and founder John H. Schnatter blamed poor results in part on controversies surrounding the NFL, which the restaurant chain sponsors. Stepping into the middle of a political controversy was a mistake. So was clumsily trying to walk it back on Twitter. What Papa John’s said on…
Five women accused comedian Louis C.K. of sexual abuse. Unlike most people in this situation, he denied nothing and took responsibility. So how did he still get it wrong? According to the New York Times, since 2002, Louis C.K. has on several different occasions asked women he worked with permission to masturbate in front of…
The Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan organization that analyzes tax proposals, posted and then retracted an erroneous analysis of the Republican tax plan. The problem took several days to fix. If you ever screw up (and who doesn’t), take notes; this is a great case study in how to recover. What does a tax proposal…
Anthony Rapp, the actor now appearing on “Star Trek: Discovery,” says Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted him when he was 14. Kevin Spacey apologized by saying he was gay. This is wrong on so many levels. Rapp was a child actor appearing on Broadway in 1986. As he told BuzzFeed News, he remembers going to Spacey’s…
The New York Times published a devastating and detailed piece on decades of sexual advances by powerful movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein responded with a strange statement about taking a leave from his movie company to take on the NRA and President Trump. Weinstein’s statement is bizarrely sensible — but only if you believe, in…
Equifax interim CEO Paulino do Rego Barros Jr. published a piece in the Wall Street Journal about his company’s response to its data breach. The tone and substance are ideal. Why does it always take at least 3 tries for a company to get its apology and reaction right? The Barros Op-ed works because it’s sincere,…
Ryanair made a mistake and had to cancel 40 to 50 flights a day for the next six weeks, for a total of 2,100 flights. The legendary no-frills airline has always treated passengers like freight, and with its non-apology, has proven that accounting for customers’ feelings is a luxury that doesn’t come on Ryanair. This…
Thieves “potentially” made off with 143 million consumer records from credit reporting company Equifax. This is the worst data breach ever. The Equifax response is full of vague cover-your-ass statements at the exact moment when consumers most need accurate information. This is not the largest data breach ever — Yahoo lost data on 1 billion…