The beginning of Women’s History Month brought me back to a meeting with the late Barbara Walters, a journalism pioneer, several years ago. I had the opportunity to meet Ms. Walters on a client matter in her office on the Upper West Side and it was one of the highlights of my career.
Gracious, engaged, genuinely interested and thoroughly prepared – it was easy to see why she was a legend. These attributes, in addition to boundless patience and determination are probably what helped her rise to the top of a profession completely dominated by males.
Her office was modest, particularly in light of her marquee status at the network. The one nod to her stature was a shelf that circled the room with an Emmy award perched on every square inch of it. (You can catch a glimpse in the background of the photo above.)
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the possible interview of a crisis client of our firm on her program. One exchange captured the quintessential balancing act of crisis communications:
Barbara Walters: What do you tell your clients?
Me: I tell them two things. First, fill the vacuum – tell your story and define yourself on your own terms.
Barbara Walters: Oh, that’s very good. (No doubt thinking “As luck would have it, I host a TV show where your client could do that with an audience of tens of millions of people.”)
Then she asked “What’s the second thing you tell them?”
I replied “Don’t go to jail.”
She laughed, acknowledging the challenge of telling the story without undermining the client’s legal position, or endangering their freedom.
The interview never took place because the balance never made sense for the client, but I walked away from the meeting with even more of an appreciation for a trailblazer who set a timeless standard for all journalists – and frankly anyone committed to excellence.
