Of all the mediums available today, live television remains the biggest crapshoot. Mic’s left on, poor lighting, wardrobe malfunctions, human frailty, all exposed to millions in a second and captured and shared forever. There is no editing or reclaiming when live is live.
The latest and best example occurred Sunday night when talk show host, comedian, all around media personality flubbed the announcement of the winner of Miss Universe live on FOX, announcing that Miss Columbia, Ariadna Gutierrez, had taken the title when in fact, it was Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. A simple misread of a printed card sent the social world into a tizzy just before 10 PM eastern time in the United States, and in reality gave the pageant more exposure than it would have gotten had the event gone off without a hitch. Harvey quickly became the brunt of jokes and endless memes that have gone on for more than 24 hours. What did he do? Exactly what anyone in a crisis like that should have done.
Take a second, stay calm, realize the mistake, DON’T LIE and move on.
Harvey could have easily spun the issue off to others, misread cards, a poor system of information, inadequate handling. Nope. He stayed on stage, even showed the world on the card that he had made the mistake, apologized and wrapped the show with the actual winner. It took seconds to do, and it resonated with millions.
It seems pretty simple and basic, but in a world where thousands will jump on the bandwagon, not owning up can seem like the simplest way out, when in reality it lengthens the news cycle and kills credibility. By taking control, the host of “Family Feud” showed the world, and his millions of fans, true character in a crisis. He restored order quickly, diffused the situation, and had everyone move on.
Did it end in a second? No. Will the clip be replayed thousands of times? Sure, that’s the digital world we live in today. Could it have been handled any better by someone in a live situation? No way. Not that he needed it, but Harvey probably gained more casual fans, and got himself some bigger gigs should he want then, by standing up and controlling a difficult situation, not letting the situation control him. He could have walked off and hid and let others take the blow. Instead he restored the order and brought great credibility to a situation where chaos could have reigned.
A great example of adapting and thinking clearly in a crisis, which we can all learn from. Admit the mistake, diffuse the situation clearly, don’t lie, and move on.
Well done. Mr. Harvey.
