Bill cosby hello friend sweatshirt

Approach to Crisis Management: Defending an Organization’s Reputation

Resource: The Practice of Public Relations, Ch. 3, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 13, and Ch. 17

Select one of the following case studies to read and do research on from The Practice of Public Relations:

Race Relations with that Soy Latte? (page 59)

Uber Success Brings PR Problems (page 102)

Ethical Hammer Falls on Daddy Huxtable (page 124)

Up Your Bucket for a Wonderful Cause (page 287)

The Rise and Fall of Queen Martha (page 371)

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper and respond to the questions at the end of your selected case study to form the basis for your response.

What went well regarding the PR response to the situation?

What might you have recommended to improve the response?

Cite PR concepts from your text, ERRs, or other sources to support the points you are making.

Include two references with your paper.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Case Study Ethical Hammer Falls on Daddy Huxtable

For decades, there was no more beloved television figure than Bill Cosby.

As the star of TV’s number one rated The Cosby Show in the 1980s, the comedian played patriarch Cliff Huxtable of an upper middle-class African American family in Brooklyn Heights. Daddy Cliff regularly counseled his five children with wise and ethical advice. And the comedian, himself, who had risen from the projects of Philadelphia to become one of the brightest entertainment stars of his era, enjoyed a reputation for ethics and honesty around the world.

And then, 30 years after his meteoric rise to stardom, Bill Cosby’s ethical reputation absorbed a hammer blow that would ultimately prove fatal to his career.

Initial Disturbing Rumblings

In 2005, with Cosby continuing to enjoy popularity as a standup comedian and a prominent voice among African Americans, two women raised allegations that began to shake the Cosby empire (Figure 6-8).

The first came from a Temple University graduate who claimed that Cosby, whom she considered a mentor, had touched her inappropriately on several occasions. After ABC News picked up the story, Cosby said nothing but his lawyer came out swinging, dismissing the woman’s accusations as “utterly preposterous” and “plainly bizarre.” Eventually, Cosby reached an out-of-court settlement with his accuser.

On the heels of this controversy, another woman appeared on the NBC Today Show and claimed that Cosby had drugged and sexually assaulted her in the 1970s. Once again, the comedian’s lawyer was quick to condemn the accuser, claiming the comedian didn’t even know the woman.

In 2006, People Magazine reported that several other women, including actresses who had worked with him, had accused Bill Cosby of inappropriate sexual relationships, and that the comedian agreed to pay some of them.

Despite the mounting allegations against him, Bill Cosby continued to be an outspoken voice in the first decade of the 21st century for the need for African American parents, particularly fathers, to inculcate in their children higher standards of morality. Other African American leaders, including Barack Obama, hewed to the Cosby line of advice.

A Drip Becomes a Flood

By 2014, Bill Cosby—actor, author, philanthropist, spokesman for Jell-Oo and other wholesome products—now approaching 80 years old was in discussions with Netflix for a brand new comedy special.

And then Bill Cosby’s world imploded.

In February, Newsweek interviewed two of the women who had charged Cosby years earlier with sexual misconduct; both described the beloved comedian as a calculating and manipulative predator. Once again, Cosby said nothing, but his publicist responded that the claim was “a 10-year-old discredited accusation that proved to be nothing at the time and is still nothing.”

Other media picked up the Cosby story, and more than a dozen other women came forward with tales about Cosby’s alleged improprieties. Both Netflix and NBC, which had contemplated a Cosby sitcom return, announced they were shelving plans for the comedian’s comeback.

Photo of Bill Cosby sitting in a chair on a stage, wearing a hooded sweatshirt that says: “Hello Friend”

Figure 6-8 The accused.

After decades of revered status as an ethical and honorable leader, comedian Bill Cosby saw it all come tumbling down in 2014.

Photo: BARRY GUTIERREZ/REUTERS/Newscom

For the first time, other African American comedians began to attack the legendary comic, accusing him of rape. In response, Cosby’s public relations team invited social media followers to “Go Ahead. Meme Me,” with a meme to a link generator on the Cosby Web site. Although the memes had to be submitted for approval, few followed the guidelines and instead posted screen shots of the comic, tweeted under the hashtag #CosbyMeme, with captions like:

“My two favorite things—Jell-O Pudding and Rape.”

“More than a dozen women have accused me of rape.”

“Had a drugged up sista about a week ago.”

As the allegations continued and the parade of accusers got longer, the comedian agreed to be interviewed with his wife by Scott Simon, the gentle but savvy host of National Public Radio’s (NPR) “Weekend Edition.” Ostensible subject of the interview was to discuss the Cosbys’ loan of African art for a Washington, D.C. exhibition. After several minutes of niceties about the art, Simon asked about the allegations of sexual misconduct. No response. After Simon asked again and received the same silent treatment from Cosby, the interviewer concluded the interview. After the broadcast Cosby’s lawyer explained that his client “won’t dignify these allegations with any response.”

End of an Icon

After the NPR radio silence, Bill Cosby found himself hopelessly inundated by bad publicity.

Over the next several months, numerous additional accusers—upwards of 30—emerged with similar stories of how Cosby had drugged them to commit acts of sexual misconduct in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. A Cosby Show employee acknowledged that he was in charge of “delivering payoffs” to keep women quiet. And Cosby’s biographer took to Twitter to apologize for not including the accusations in his book. Throughout the ordeal, Cosby’s lawyer condemned the “media-driven feeding frenzy” over old accusations. And few of Cosby’s fellow entertainers came to his aid.

The bad news for the fallen icon continued through 2015. Gloria Allred, notorious pit bull attorney for women claiming to be victims of assault, announced she was representing a number of the accusers. A New York theater canceled two upcoming Cosby performances; the U.S. Navy stripped Cosby of his honorary chief petty officer designation; and an unknown vandal scrawled “rapist” on Cosby’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Figure 6-9).

Through it all, Bill Cosby himself refused to address the mounting allegations. Indeed, in February 2015 when it was reported that Eddie Murphy refused to play Cosby in a sketch for the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, Cosby responded simply, “I am very appreciative of Eddie, and I applaud his actions.” And three months later, when Cosby sat down for an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, he once again refused to confront directly the growing list of abuse charges that had scuttled his once-impeccable reputation.*

Questions

1. How would you assess the Cosby public relations strategy of allowing lawyers and others to answer charges?

2. What would you have advised the comedian upon receiving the invitation to appear on NPR?

3. What public relations advice would you have given Bill Cosby do deal with the allegations?