Most people, including David Letterman himself, conceded that the late night comic went over the line in a recent joke pegged to Sarah Palin and one of her daughters attending a New York Yankees game. The joke flowed out of a regular Letterman shtick, this one called Top 10 Highlights of Sarah Palin's Trip to New York. This was one of the items:
"There was one awkward moment during the seventh inning stretch. Her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez."
The joke went over the line. It's an elementary rule of comedy that jokes at the expense of minor children of politicians are off-limits, even when a daughter, such as Bristol Palin, is in the news. But Bristol wasn't the daughter at the Yankee game. It was 14 year-old Willow Palin. Letterman ended up looking like a creep and a bully.
The reaction was swift and furious. Politicians and bloggers called for Letterman's firing. Others called for an apology, not just to Sarah Palin but to all women.
This is a classic situation for an effective apology. A quick apology and the matter would have blown over. Instead, Letterman came out with a ham-fisted statement of regret. He admitted the joke was in bad taste and that he "probably" regretted it, but then said it was probably no different from the other thousands of jokes he regretted. It was lame.
A week passed until Letterman got it right. And I have to hand it to him. His apology is damn good. A full-throated mea culpa that acknowledges that his intentions don't count against the consequences. His apology was delivered on his show on June 15, 2009. This is part of the apology. Cick for the full video and text.
I told a bad joke. I told a joke that was beyond flawed, and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception. And since it was a joke I told, I feel that I need to do the right thing here and apologize for having told that joke.
It's not your fault that it was misunderstood, it's my fault that it was misunderstood. So I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke. I'm sorry about it and I'll try to do better in the future.
Nice work, Dave. I especially like the statement, "It's not your fault that it was misunderstood, it's my fault that it was misunderstood." I could have used that in my book. I also appreciate the promise to do better next time. I believe him. The only thing the apology missed is a gesture of restitution beyond the public shame that Letterman accepted. Perhaps in this case, it's enough.
Evaluation:
Recognition: A
Responsibility: A
Remorse: A
Restitution: B
Repetition: A
Overall score: A-
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