Smashing Keurigs to Defend Roy Moore

People are posting videos of themselves destroying their Keurig coffee machines to protest the company's decision to pull advertising from Fox News because of an interview with Roy Moore. Moore, who is running for Senator for Alabama, has been accused of having sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl and other teenagers when he was in his 30s.

Sean Hannity interviewed Moore, and Keurig and other advertisers, including E-Trade, Realtor.com, ELOQUII, 23andMe, and Nature's Bounty, thought the interview was too light and let Moore off easily. Keurig CEO Bob Gamgort explained his reasoning in an email to employees including this excerpt:

"The catalyst for the current situation was commentary made by Sean Hannity on his TV and radio programs last week, which sparked a significant number of consumer complaints directed to us as advertisers on his TV program. Hannity himself later apologized for his comments in his own tweet: "As I said on TV tonight, I apologize when I misspoke and was not totally clear earlier today."

Hannity's conservative fans aren't happy with the decision.

UPDATE: Some advertisers deleted tweets, which does not reflect well on the brands.

Discussion:

• Assess the CEO's full email to employees. Analyze his audience and communication objectives. How well does he explain the situation?
• In what ways is this an issue of integrity for multiple people involved?

Apologies from Louis C.K. and His Former Manager

After several women told similar stories about Louis C.K.'s sexual misconduct, the comedian wrote a statement (NSFW). Some appreciate Louis C.K.'s taking responsibility and consider it a far better response than we have seen from Harvey Weinstein or Kevin Spacey. Others think the statement fell short, particularly because he didn't use the words "I'm sorry" or "I apologize."

Quartz published an edited version of the statement, criticizing Louis C.K. for emphasizing how much he's admired rather than how sorry he is.

Meanwhile, Louis C.K.'s manager, Dave Becky, ended their relationship and wrote his own statement:

"I profoundly regret and am deeply sorry for not listening to and not understanding what happened to Dana and Julia. If I had, I would have taken this event as seriously as it deserved to be, and I would have confronted Louis, which would have been the right thing to do.

I am providing this context so that others do not make the same mistake I did. At that time, I heard the story third-hand, and I interpreted the conversation as two women telling a story about a sexual encounter with a then-married Louis. Albeit enormously embarrassing, in no way did I interpret the interaction as threatening or non-consensual. I misperceived the casual way the story was portrayed to me - instead I should have recognized that it must have been a mask for their unease and discomfort in the face of his detestable behavior. My intent was to seek discretion to protect what I thought was a matter of infidelity. I now comprehend that my response was perceived as a threat to cover-up sexual misconduct. This is not an excuse. What I did was wrong, and again, I am extremely sorry.

In hindsight, I was operating blindly from a one-sided place of privilege. Until last week, I knew only of this one isolated incident. Although this may sound naïve, it is true. Never once, in all of these years, did anyone mention any of the other incidents that were reported recently - I am appalled to learn of these. I have come to realize my status wielded an atmosphere where such news did not reach me, or worse yet, that it seemed such news did not matter to me. It does. It matters tremendously.

I am going to take time to reflect on this, to educate myself daily, and to strive towards a more enlightened path. I want to ensure that all voices around me are heard, and that everyone is treated respectfully and empathetically. More than anything, I want to create an environment that is a better, safer and fairer place."

Becky also represents Aziz Ansari, Amy Poehler, and Kevin Hart. He did represent Pamela Adlon, but she terminated the relationship after the Louis C.K. news became public.

Discussion: 

• If you read Louis C.K.'s statement (NSFW), what is your perspective? In what ways does it serve as an effective apology, and in what ways does it fall short?
• Assess Becky's statement similarly.

Two NPR Executives Leave

NPR's head of the news division was forced to resign after two women accused him of sexual harassment. Michael Oreskes admitted his failings in a statement:

"I am deeply sorry to the people I hurt. My behavior was wrong and inexcusable, and I accept full responsibility."

Soon after, NPR's chief executive, Jarl Mohn, announced a medical leave:

"As many of you know, last March, I suffered a nearly fatal ruptured aorta. I returned to work with the blessing of my physician with one important caveat - I cannot allow my blood pressure to rise. Regretfully, the hypertension has returned to a dangerous level."

Mohn said he noticed other issues with Oreskes, for example, inappropriate expense reporting, and took some responsibility for the impact of Oreskes' behavior:

"In retrospect, I did not see the bigger pattern of poor judgment and unacceptable behavior. I am sorry, and I have learned from this."

The news hit the industry hard, partly because we rely on reporters' integrity, particularly when allegations of "fake news" are common on both sides of the political aisle.

Discussion:

• Should we have higher standards for news reporters? Why or why not?
• Did Mohn do the right thing by resigning? What are the arguments on both sides of his decision?

We Learn More About Kevin Spacey

Not so shocking, more people are coming forward to complain about Kevin Spacey's sexual behavior. Crew members of "House of Cards" say he created a "toxic" work environment, particularly for young men. A production assistant accused him of assault, and seven others tell stories of aggressive touching, inappropriate comments, and other harassing behavior.

Spacey is experiencing more fallout from the news. In addition to Netflix's ending the show and the Emmy's cancelling a special award, Netflix announced it will not allow Spacey back on set. The company issued this statement: 

"Netflix was just made aware of one incident, five years ago, that we were informed was resolved swiftly. On Tuesday, in collaboration with MRC, we suspended production, knowing that Kevin Spacey wasn't scheduled to work until Wednesday. Netflix is not aware of any other incidents involving Kevin Spacey on-set. We continue to collaborate with MRC and other production partners to maintain a safe and respectful working environment. We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the production, and have nothing further to share at this time."

His publicist and talent agency also ended their relationship.

Discussion:

• Knowing more about the complaints now, do you think Spacey should have handled his initial apology to Anthony Rapp and coming out statement differently?
• Assess Netflix's statement: who is the audience, and what are the communication objectives? What works well, and what could be improved?
• What's your view of the publicist ending their relationship? What if the publicist helped Spacey with the initial statement? Does that change your view? Why or why not?

NFL Owner Criticized for Comment

The owner of the Houston Texans has apologized for a comment he made when describing protests around players kneeling during the national anthem. For weeks, the NFL has struggled with its response, and now the situation is exacerbated by inflammatory comments. Owner Bob Nair said, "We can't have the inmates running the prison," as he expressed concern about the league's revenues.

Players were offended by the comment and, according to an ESPN report, considered a walkout. One player, Andre Hopkins, skipped practice. A Mashable writer explains sensitivities around the comment:

This, of course, is not a very sensitive thing to say given the context of the protests: started by Colin Kaepernick as a means of protesting the police-involved killings of unarmed black men, continued by a group of mostly black players, facing criticism and pressure from a group of mostly white owners concerned about their bottom line.

Nair did apologize in a statement: 

"I regret that I used that expression. I never meant to offend anyone, and I was not referring to our players. I used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally. I would never characterize our players or our league that way, and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it."

Image source.

Discussion:

• What's your reaction to the comment: offensive, no big deal, or something else?
• How well does Nair's apology meet criteria for good apologies?
• How well does Nair demonstrate vulnerability in this situation?

Criticism of Kevin Spacey's Statement

Actor Anthony Rapp has accused fellow actor Kevin Spacey of sexual assault when Rapp was 14 years old. Rapp is known for his roles in Rent, Star Trek: Discovery, and A Beautiful Mind, while Spacey has a long history of movie credits and is currently co-starring in House of Cards.

Spacey responded to the allegations with an apology statement, and he took the opportunity to come out as a gay man. He is facing harsh criticism for deflecting attention away from the situation and for possibly linking being gap to pedophilia, an unfounded but common association.

Susan McCarthy, who manages SorryWatch, created "Bad Apology Bingo" and "Bad Apology Bingo Two" as lessons for what not to include in an apology statement. 

In addition to the public backlash, Netflix has announced that House of Cards, currently filming its sixth season, will not film a seventh. Also, Spacey will not receive the special Emmy award that was planned for new month.

Discussion:

• What's your view of the Spacey's response and the backlash?
• Did Netflix and the Emmy Awards do the right thing? Why or why not?

Sweetery's Harsh Response to a Bride

When a prospective customer decides not to pursue a contract, what's the best reaction? Certainly not how Sweetery responded, with a long, insulting email. Amanda De Pascale says she was considering offering the company's food truck to her wedding guests as a fun addition, but the $2500 quote was more than she wanted to spend. After she told the company her decision, she said she received multiple phone calls from them and then this email. She posted screenshots on her Facebook page.

You may want to skip some parts.

Amanda -

We have zero idea what type of warped sick games you are playing with us, but now it is time for us to have a say.

You are a despicable bottom feeding wretched disgrace of a person, who is as disgusting as they come.

How many times have we called you to follow up on the proposal that we expanded time and effort to produce based on your request and each and every time you cowardly hang up the phone on us when we identify who is calling, what an absolute low life twisted miserable individual you have to be [sic].

We also send you multiple emails that you don't have the decency to respond to, who do you think you are, because we are here to tell you that you are a weak, meager [sic] spineless empty sack low life piece of trash.

We work very hard to do right by client [sic] both existing and perspective and although rarely do we come across a pile of dog ____ like you, it is cowards like you that are not worth the gas that we pass. If you were not interested in our services that [sic] open your mousy measly trap and say so, but no not you, you would prefer to hang up on us countless time [sic] pretending that you cannot hear us to which we would normally say get a new phone but it is clear that you should get a life.

You are despicable and that is probably on your best day, on your worst day you are a complete waste of humanity, I know dogs when they lift their legs that have better manners than you do.

What kind of trash would ask a company to do work for them and then not have the decency and respect, or the respect for their own self, not to at the very least say. . . .

At right is a screenshot of the last part of his message.

At first, Sweetery's owner, whose name is listed on the bottom of the screenshots, Grant DiMille, told Fox News, "Yes, it came from a company computer, but it was not sent by myself or any member of management. It's a terrible offense, yes, but everyone makes mistakes."

Later, DiMille said he fired the employee who wrote the message, and he sent an apology to De Pascale: "It does deeply matter to us that you were offended by what was written to you. I know it will be difficult for you to believe this but our company's culture is not like what your experience has been, yet the experience that you encountered did happen."

Discussion:

• We hear only one side of the first part of the story. What, if any, justification could Sweetery have for the strong response?
• How well did DiMille respond? What could explain his name on the screenshots?
• How is this story a lesson in humility?

NAACP Warns Travelers

The NAACP issued warnings to African-American passengers flying on American Airlines. In a news release, the organization described four "troublesome issues." One is described below:

"An African-American man was required to relinquish his purchased seats aboard a flight from Washington, D.C. to Raleigh-Durham, merely because he responded to disrespectful and discriminatory comments directed toward him by two unruly white passengers."

The release explains the impetus for the warning:

"The NAACP for several months now has been monitoring a pattern of disturbing incidents reported by African-American passengers, specific to American Airlines. In light of these confrontations, we have today taken the action of issuing national advisory alerting travelers-especially African Americans-to exercise caution, in that booking and boarding flights on American Airlines could subject them disrespectful, discriminatory or unsafe conditions."

American Airlines didn't respond about the specific incidents but invited the NAACP to meet with headquarters staff. A spokesperson also said, "We do not and we will not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We have reached out to the NAACP and are eager to meet with them to listen to their issues and concerns." 

Discussion:

• American Airlines isn't saying much. What else, if anything, should the airline do and say?
• Read the four incidents described in the news release. What's your view of these situations? What else, if anything, would you like to know about these situations?
• Assess the news release. What works well about the NAACP's argument, and what could be improved?

President Trump's Call to a Widow

The media has covered a phone call between President Trump and Myeshia Johnson, whose husband, La David, was a soldier killed in Niger. In an interview on Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos, Johnson describes what the president said on speakerphone in her car:

"The president said that he knew what he signed up for, but it hurts anyways. It made me cry because I was very angry at the tone of his voice and how he said it. He couldn't remember my husband's name… I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband's name, and that's what hurt me the most."

President Trump replied to the controversy in a tweet: 

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who lost a son in Afghanistan, said the president had asked him, "What do I say?" when he was preparing to call four families. Kelly defended the president:

"In his way, [he] tried to express that opinion -- that (Johnson) is a brave man, a fallen hero. He knew what he was getting himself into because he enlisted. There's no reason to enlist, he enlisted. And he was where he wanted to be with exactly the people he wanted to be with when his life was taken. That was the message. That was the message that was transmitted."

Offering sympathy, as we discuss in Chapter 6 of the book, is never easy. Perhaps President Trump could have shown some vulnerability-a natural hesitation or discomfort in offering compassion.

Image source.

Discussion:

• Because we don't have a recording of the interaction, it's hard for us to judge what happened. In addition, an important missing element is tone. How do you think that might have affected how the message was received?
• Other than the phone call itself, how could President Trump have handled this situation differently?

A Chef Resigns After Sexual Harassment Charges

An investigation found 25 employees of Besh Restaurant Group claiming sexual harassment. BRG owns 14 restaurants, including Restaurant August in New Orleans and Johnny Sanchez in New Orleans and Baltimore.

The women describe a hostile working environment where "vulgar and offensive comments, aggressive unwelcomed touching, and sexual advances were condoned and sometimes even encouraged by managers and supervisors." Some charges were against John Besh, co-owner of the group.

When faced with the first complaint, Besh said it was "a consensual relationship with one member of my team." But additional women came forward, and it became more difficult for Besh to isolate the incident. BRG announced Besh's decision to resign. In an email to employees, CEO Shannon wrote, "John has decided to step down from all aspects of operations and to provide his full focus on his family."

Besh and BRG issued statements in response to the claims.

John Besh's statement:

"Two years ago, I deeply hurt those I love by thoughtlessly engaging in a consensual relationship with one member of my team. Since then I have been seeking to rebuild my marriage and come to terms with my reckless actions given the profound love I have for my wife, my boys and my Catholic faith. I also regret any harm this may have caused to my second family at the restaurant group, and sincerely apologize to anyone past and present who has worked for me who found my behavior as unacceptable as I do.

"I alone am entirely responsible for my moral failings. This is not the way the head of a company like ours should have acted, let alone a husband and father. But it should not taint our incredible team of more than 1,000 employees, nor undermine our unyielding commitment to treating everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of gender, race, age and sexual preference."

Statement from Raymond Landry, Besh Restaurant Group's general counsel:

"We have learned recently that a number of women in our company feel that we have not had a clear mechanism in place to allow them to voice concerns about receiving the respect they deserve on the job. I want to assure all of our employees that if even a single person feels this way, it is one person too many and that ends now.

"While we've had a complaint procedure in place that complies with all existing laws, we now recognize that, as a practical matter, we needed to do more than what the law requires and we have revamped our training, education and procedures accordingly. Now that we have learned of these concerns, we believe going forward that everyone at our company will be fully aware of the clear procedures that are now in place to safeguard against anyone feeling that his or her concerns will not be heard and addressed free from retaliation."

Discussion:

• Analyze Besh's response: the first attempt, his statement, and his decision to step down.
• How well does Landry's statement for BRG address the situation? What, if anything, should the company do differently?

Goodell Skirts Anthem Issue

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seems to be conflicted about how to handle the issue of players kneeling during the national anthem. A PR Daily writer summarizes the results of a recent news conference.

His aim was to stem backlash over players kneeling during the national anthem. However, Goodell's response didn't do much to alleviate the NFL's troubles.

This video caption reads, "Roger Goodell: 'We believe everyone should stand for the National Anthem' | NFL." But other messages aren't quite as clear. In a memo to owners, Goodell wrote, "we also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues."

In a tweet and elsewhere, President Trump has made his perspective clear.

Image source.

Discussion:

• Assess Goodell's news conference. Consider his audience and communication objectives.
• Contrast the NFL's with the NBA's. What differences and similarities do you notice? Which league is handling the controversy better?

#MeToo Campaign

Women in every industry are showing empathy and compassion to those who have suffered from sexual harassment and assault. After exposure of Harvey Weinstein's years of sexual harassment, women are coming forward on social media to say they, too, have been victims.

Social media connects people, but often those connections are negative, with online bullying and harassment getting the most attention. Now people are showing their vulnerability and coming together in solidarity to stop what many believe is a pervasive practice.

The latest women to admit their experience are in the U.S. Senate, including Senators Claire McCaskill and Mazie Hirono. 

A writer The Washington Post commends women who speak out, but she warns that not everyone has to:

Plenty of people talk about how brave it is to speak out, and they're right. It is brave to speak out, but that doesn't make you a coward if you don't.

Image source.

Discussion:

• What is empathy, and how does it differ from compassion?
• How is the hashtag #MeToo helpful?
• To what extent do you agree with the Washington Post writer's view? Read her entire article first.

Tarantino Admits to Knowing More

As more female victims come forward to describe Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment behavior, one male celebrity admits to knowing and doing not enough about it at the time. Director Quentin Tarantino said, "I knew enough to do more than I did," and "There was more to it than just the normal rumors, the normal gossip. It wasn't secondhand. I knew he did a couple of these things."

Tarantino cited incidents with women including his former girlfriend Mira Sorvino and also said, "I wish I had taken responsibility for what I heard," and "If I had done the work I should have done then, I would have had to not work with him."

The director regrets not seeing the larger pattern of abuse and demonstrates vulnerability when he admits, "Anything I say now will sound like a crappy excuse," and "I chalked it up to a '50s-'60s era image of a boss chasing a secretary around the desk," he said. "As if that's O.K. That's the egg on my face right now."

Unsurprisingly, Tarantino says others close to Weinstein also knew and did nothing to stop the abuse.

Above is a picture of Tarantino in the movie Pulp Fiction.

Image source.

Discussion:

• What's your reaction to Tarantino's statements?
• In what ways is Tarantino demonstrating vulnerability?
• Why do you think he's coming forward now? Why haven't other Hollywood men come forward? Should they?

Tweets About Hurricane Ophelia

I have terrible timing. Before a conference in Dublin, I'm visiting Caherdaniel, along the southwest coast of Ireland-during a category 3 hurricane. Tweets about the storm reveal the Irish sense of humor and perceptions of Americans.

It's not all bad: some memes are just funny, comparing Americans' reactions to Hurricanes to the Irish's reactions. The difference is understandable because obviously we have more experience, including recent Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico.

Other tweets portray Americans as gun bearers:

Many poke fun at drinking:

 

And still others reference having to work although all public schools in Ireland are closed:

Commenting on employers' responses, one wrote, "An awful lot of people found out what companies really think of them."

Discussion:

• To what extent do you think the humor is cultural or based on a lack of hurricane experience? 
• What's your reaction to these tweets and memes? Do you think they're funny, foolish, or something else?

Dove Takes a Hit for Ad Meant to Show Diversity

Dove has been touted for its "Real Beauty" campaign that shows real women, not models. But now the company is being criticized for an ad intended to show diversity. The ad includes women taking off a shirt to reveal another woman underneath.

The trouble is that the ad starts with a Black woman to reveal a White woman, implying to many critics that the Black person "got clean" and became White. In the ad, the White woman then takes off her shirt to reveal an Asian woman.

The company apologized and pulled the ad: "Dove is committed to representing the beauty of diversity. In an image we posted this week, we missed the mark in thoughtfully representing women of color and we deeply regret the offense that it has caused." A spokesperson also said the GIF, "was intended to convey that Dove Body Wash is for every woman and be a celebration of diversity, but we got it wrong and, as a result, offended many people."

Earlier this year, Nivea produced an ad, "White Is Purity." People didn't appreciate that one either.  

Discussion:

• Dove says it will review its editorial process for creating ads. What changes do you think they could make?
• Some say screenshots of the ad are taken out of context because only the first two women are shown. What's your view?

Toyota Ads Vary by Ethnicity

Toyota's new advertising approach is to tailor Camry commercials to people based on their assumed ethnicity. If your history shows that you watch Scandal or Sunday Night Football, you'll get a particular ad.

A New York Times article shows the differences for African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, and "Transcultural Mainstream."

A group vice president for Toyota explains the strategy, "if a person of any group is looking for communication that is like them, that looks like them specifically, the good news is because of the breadth of something like a Camry campaign, they can find it." The NYT article explains more detailed strategies for eight ads targeted to ethnic groups.

Discussion:

• One argument against the tailored ads is that the U.S. is quite diverse, and people expect to see different ethnicities in ads anyway. What do you think? 
• Read the strategies for eight examples in the article. Some, of course, are built on stereotypes. Is this wrong or a good marketing approach?

Harvey Weinstein's Plea

Harvey Weinstein may have worsened his case by sending emails to friends asking for their defense. After several allegations of sexual harassment and at least two charges of assault over decades, the Hollywood producer's board of directors was getting ready to fire him from the company. Not willing to go quietly, Weinstein emailed people, including Jeffrey Katzenberg, the chairman of Walt Disney Studies. But he didn't get the response he was expecting.

Weinstein's email is below. He demonstrates some vulnerability but fails to take full responsibility, instead saying "a lot of the allegations are false as you know":

My board is thinking of firing me. All I'm asking, is let me take a leave of absence and get into heavy therapy and counseling. Whether it be in a facility or somewhere else, allow me to resurrect myself with a second chance. A lot of the allegations are false as you know but given therapy and counseling as other people have done, I think I'd be able to get there. 

I could really use your support or just your honesty if you can't support me. 

But if you can, I need you to send a letter to my private gmail address. The letter would only go to the board and no one else. We believe what the board is trying to do is not only wrong but might be illegal and would destroy the company. If you could write this letter backing me, getting me the help and time away I need, and also stating your opposition to the board firing me, it would help me a lot. I am desperate for your help. Just give me the time to have therapy. Do not let me be fired. If the industry supports me, that is all I need. 

With all due respect, I need the letter today.

Instead, Katzenberg emailed Weinstein and made his response public. In part, he says, "You have done terrible things to a number of women over a period of years," yet Katzenberg calls him a friend and offers his help.

An interesting part of this story is the criticism of men who have come forward with a preface such as, "As a father of two daughters." A writer for Vulture explains this perspective.

Image source.

Discussion:

• What's your view of Weinstein's letter to his friends? What other approaches could he take knowing his board is planning to fire him?
• How do you assess Katzenberg's response and his choice to make the email public? Is he a bad friend? What is he trying to accomplish for himself and for Weinstein in his response?
• Finally, what's your view of people referencing their wives and daughters? Is the Vulture writer's perspective spot on, too harsh, or something else?

Pronouns Matter on Earnings Calls

A study by researchers at Tulane University found that CEOs who use "self-inclusive language" on earnings calls leave more positive impressions. Self-inclusive language means using first-person pronouns that include the speaker, and they can take singular or plural forms (for examples, "I", "we," "us," "my," "our").  When executives didn't use pronouns (for example, "Webtex's managers" or "Webtex management"), investors reacted less favorably to disclosures, whether positive or negative. The study  script is below.

In addition to the experimental study, the article includes results from text analysis of more than 50,000 earnings calls. Correlating language used in the calls with market reactions, the authors confirm results from the experiment.

A Wall Street Journal article quotes James Pennebaker, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin about the study: "The way I interpret it is that the manager's coming across as more human." Pennebaker is referring to authenticity, and that likely is part of the explanation. Another possibility is that executives sound more accountable, which might also cause investors to respond favorably. In the article, the authors also hypothesize:

"When news is positive, investors react more positively to managers' use of SIL
because they infer managers are more likely to have high ability. When news is negative,
investors also react more positively to managers' use of SIL as it appears that managers are more in control of the situation."

Image source.

Discussion:

• You just read a few interpretations of the study results. What do you think could explain the results?
• To what other types of messages could this research apply?

Harvey Weinstein Apologizes for Sexual Harassment

Revered Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been accused of sexual harassment, and he has apologized. A New York Times article cites "decades" of sexual harassment, including regular reports of women seeing Weinstein partially or fully naked. Women also report being asked for massages and other sexual activities, but few reported them at the same.

He submitted a written apology that meets many of the criteria for a good apology, yet a reporter on The Daily described a different conversation with Weinstein. She indicated that, over the phone, Weinstein's response was more "complicated." She says that he denied some aspects of the accusations, and indeed, his attorney has said, "he denies many of the accusations as patently false."

Image source.

Discussion:

• Read the NY Times article. How credible do you find the women's reports? Which are more credible than others?
• To what extent do you find Weinstein's written statement credible? How would you explain some of the contradictions between the statement and the quotations from him and his lawyer? 
• In part, Weinstein describes another time, when his behavior was considered acceptable. (Think Mad Men.) Do you buy this argument? Why or why not?

NBA Reinforces Rule: Stand for the Anthem

The NBA is speaking out about the controversy over whether players can "take a knee"-or kneel-during the national anthem, which NFL players have been criticized for doing. In a memo from deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, the message is loud and clear-but hidden towards the end:

"...players, coaches and trainers stand respectfully for the anthem. The league office will determine how to deal with any possible instance in which a player, coach or trainer does not stand for the anthem. (Teams do not have the discretion to waive this rule)."

Most of the memo avoids the issue entirely and instead encourages players to continue to be active within the community.

TO: NBA BOARD OF GOVERNORS, TEAM PRESIDENTS,GENERAL MANAGERS
FROM: MARK TATUM, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER &CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
CC: LEAGUE OFFICE
DATE: SEPTEMBER 29, 2017
RE: NEXT STEPS: BUILDING STRONGER, SAFER COMMUNITIES

As a follow-up to our discussions at this week's Board of Governors meetings, this document outlines suggested steps each team could take as we prepare for the start of the season and continue to develop impactful community programs.

I. ENGAGING PLAYERS AND SENIOR LEADERSHIP

If you have not done so already, we suggest organizing discussions between players, coaches, general managers and ownership to hear the players' perspectives.

One approach would be for team leadership to review existing team and league initiatives and encourage players to share their thoughts and ideas about them. Following those conversations, teams could develop plans prior to the start of the regular season for initiatives that players and senior leadership could participate in, such as:

- Hosting Community Conversations with youth, parents, community leaders and law enforcement about the challenges we face and our shared responsibility to create positive change.

- Creating "Building Bridges Through Basketball" programs that use the game of basketball to bring people together and deepen important bonds of trust and respect between young people, mentors, community leaders, law enforcement and other first responders.

- Highlighting the importance of mentoring with the goal of adding 50,000 new mentors to support young people through our PSA campaign.

- Engaging thought leaders and partners. A variety of experts, speakers and partner organizations are available to players and teams as you continue these conversations and develop programming.

- Establishing new and/or enhancing ongoing team initiatives and partnerships in the areas of criminal justice reform, economic empowerment and civic engagement.

II. OPENING WEEK

As we approach opening week, each team could explore ways to use their first home game as an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to the NBA's core values of equality, diversity, inclusion and serve as a unifying force in the community, including:

- A joint address to fans featuring a player or coach prior to the National Anthem. This could include a message of unity and how the team is committed to bringing the community together this season.

- A video tribute or PSA featuring players, community leaders, faith leaders and team leadership speaking about the issues they care about and photos from past community events.

III. KEY MESSAGES

- These are difficult and nuanced issues.

- We support and encourage players to express their views on matters that are important to them.

- The NBA has a rule that players, coaches and trainers stand respectfully for the anthem. The league office will determine how to deal with any possible instance in which a player, coach or trainer does not stand for the anthem. (Teams do not have the discretion to waive this rule).

- Our team's focus remains on unity and collective action that leads to meaningful change in society. The players have embraced their roles in those efforts and we are proud of the work they do in our communities.

- We believe sports are a unifier and this is an opportunity for the NBA to once again lead by its core values of equality, inclusion and unity and to bridge divides and bring people together.

In a video statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver echoed Tatum's memo. Silver said he expected players to follow the league's rules of standing for the anthem. Although he encouraged freedom of expression, he also said, "It's my hope that our players will continue to use that as a moment of unity."

A writer for Yahoo sports argues that players should be able to take a knee. Part of his argument follows:

Let's be clear: Athletes are not possibly putting their careers at risk, opening themselves up to jeering fans in arenas and on social media, because they are anti-national anthem, anti-flag, anti-America, anti-military or any other "anti" that has been used to diffuse any honest discourse. That those arguments have distracted from the true purpose of this activism only goes to show why it is necessary. Change won't come if no one listens. It certainly won't come if a league that presents itself as progressive and forward-thinking discourages civil methods used to bring about awareness.

Image source.

Discussion:

• Analyze the NBA memo against principles of business writing. Who are the primary and secondary audiences? What are Tatum's objectives? How does he organize the memo?
• How well does the memo capture the league's perspective? How do you think players might have reacted? 
• Analyze Michael Lee's argument in the Yahoo article. What are his strongest and weakest arguments?