John, that's what I woulda said if I coulda laid tongue to it,
http://www.blog.ragan.com/
shades...f_i_coulda.html
Great post, John. I agree that this is a watershed point in corporate history and it will be interesting to see how this trend will manifest itself in the months and years ahead. I also wonder whether internal blogs and/or just plain e-mails copied to bunches of employees had a role in escalating the issue inside the respective media organizations. It sure is a lot easier to get a groundswell going these days, eh?
David, thanks for the link.
Ron, you are spot-on about how quickly formal and informal groups of employees can be mobilized today, and that's something that communicators and executive leaders need to be aware of and prepared for.
It's also interesting that among the companies involved in the Imus flap were several with high-ranking or high-profile African-Americans. Kenneth Chenault, for example, made the decision personally to pull American Express' advertising from MSNBC. And Al Roker at NBC was apparently very vocal about working at the same network as someone like Imus.
This kind of broader-based thinking about issues and about communities is exactly why so many people tout diversity as a virtue. I'm surprised we aren't seeing more recognition of the role these folks played in Imus' ouster.
Get your "I Love Imus" shirts, hats, buttons, stickers and more at:
www.cafepress.com/SaveImus
THE I-MAN RETURNETH!!!!
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