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| From Ronan Farrow to Boris Johnson: how to master a PR disaster | From Ronan Farrow to Boris Johnson: how to master a PR disaster |
| (3 days later) | |
| It was a secret almost certainly best kept between the four people involved, one of whom, Frank Sinatra, died 15 years ago. But for reasons best known to herself, Mia Farrow chose to reveal in an interview with Vanity Fair this week that the father of her son, Ronan, might possibly have been Frank Sinatra rather than Woody Allen, as was previously assumed. | It was a secret almost certainly best kept between the four people involved, one of whom, Frank Sinatra, died 15 years ago. But for reasons best known to herself, Mia Farrow chose to reveal in an interview with Vanity Fair this week that the father of her son, Ronan, might possibly have been Frank Sinatra rather than Woody Allen, as was previously assumed. |
| There's as little love lost between Ronan and Woody – Ronan hasn't spoken to Allen since the actor-director started a relationship with his adopted sister – as there is between Mia and Woody, but it's fair to assume Ronan would rather his mother had kept her suspicions a little quieter. Even though the rumour had been around for a while, there was not a lot to be gained by raking over old family sores in public. Especially for Ronan, the one person who definitely couldn't have known for certain, and the one who was most likely to be hurt by the fall-out. | There's as little love lost between Ronan and Woody – Ronan hasn't spoken to Allen since the actor-director started a relationship with his adopted sister – as there is between Mia and Woody, but it's fair to assume Ronan would rather his mother had kept her suspicions a little quieter. Even though the rumour had been around for a while, there was not a lot to be gained by raking over old family sores in public. Especially for Ronan, the one person who definitely couldn't have known for certain, and the one who was most likely to be hurt by the fall-out. |
| Yet once the story was out, there was no going back. Ronan had several choices. He could play dumb and say nothing. He could request that his privacy be respected. But Ronan, a lawyer, Rhodes scholar, former US diplomat and director of global youth issues for secretary of state Hillary Clinton, did neither of these. Rather, he made a joke on Twitter. "Listen, we're all 'possibly' Frank Sinatra's son." It was a brilliantly classy way of making the story go away. | Yet once the story was out, there was no going back. Ronan had several choices. He could play dumb and say nothing. He could request that his privacy be respected. But Ronan, a lawyer, Rhodes scholar, former US diplomat and director of global youth issues for secretary of state Hillary Clinton, did neither of these. Rather, he made a joke on Twitter. "Listen, we're all 'possibly' Frank Sinatra's son." It was a brilliantly classy way of making the story go away. |
| What Ronan instinctively understood is that no one outside his family is that interested whose son he is. Mia Farrow has never set herself up as a role model, and no one really cares who she slept with and when she did so. It's the gossip and the hint of intrusion that gave the story legs; the possibility that several famous people might be having an embarrassing public spat. With a tweet that implied he was enjoying himself as much as everyone else – even if he wasn't – Ronan regained his privacy. | What Ronan instinctively understood is that no one outside his family is that interested whose son he is. Mia Farrow has never set herself up as a role model, and no one really cares who she slept with and when she did so. It's the gossip and the hint of intrusion that gave the story legs; the possibility that several famous people might be having an embarrassing public spat. With a tweet that implied he was enjoying himself as much as everyone else – even if he wasn't – Ronan regained his privacy. |
| Politicians, in contrast aren't particularly known for their sense of humour. Their amour-propre and sense of gravitas doesn't allow for it. But one politician who understands the value of humour is Boris Johnson. Time and again, he uses it to his advantage, either to get out of scrapes or score easy points. When asked about his leadership ambitions – a question that comes round every few months or so – Johnson has become adept at the comic sidestep. Last year, he said: "How could anyone elect a prat who gets stuck in a zip wire?" The answer, unfortunately for Cameron, is all too easy. People like Johnson precisely because he makes an arse of himself, and he plays to their expectations. That's why he never appears on TV without messing up his hair. The public aren't that interested in a serious Boris. Last week, he tried to present the serious Boris during the Tory conference and his speech fell flat. If he wants to be PM, he needs to keep making the gags. | Politicians, in contrast aren't particularly known for their sense of humour. Their amour-propre and sense of gravitas doesn't allow for it. But one politician who understands the value of humour is Boris Johnson. Time and again, he uses it to his advantage, either to get out of scrapes or score easy points. When asked about his leadership ambitions – a question that comes round every few months or so – Johnson has become adept at the comic sidestep. Last year, he said: "How could anyone elect a prat who gets stuck in a zip wire?" The answer, unfortunately for Cameron, is all too easy. People like Johnson precisely because he makes an arse of himself, and he plays to their expectations. That's why he never appears on TV without messing up his hair. The public aren't that interested in a serious Boris. Last week, he tried to present the serious Boris during the Tory conference and his speech fell flat. If he wants to be PM, he needs to keep making the gags. |
| Louise Mensch may have annoyed MPs on both sides of the House with her style of politics, but she did at least have a wry way of fending off trouble. Most politicians go out of their way to distance themselves from their drug-taking past; it's certainly not something to be joked about. Mensch saw it differently. When presented with evidence she had, while working at EMI in the 1990s, taken drugs with Nigel Kennedy at Ronnie Scott's in Birmingham, and danced while drunk in front of journalists, she replied: "Although I do not remember the specific incident, this sounds highly probable. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Nigel Kennedy, whom I remember with affection. Additionally, since I was in my 20s, I'm sure it was not the only incident of the kind; we all do idiotic things when young. I am not a very good dancer and must apologise to any and all journalists who were forced to watch me dance that night." This had the dual benefit of killing off the hatchet job in waiting and making her look like a lovable human being for the first time. | Louise Mensch may have annoyed MPs on both sides of the House with her style of politics, but she did at least have a wry way of fending off trouble. Most politicians go out of their way to distance themselves from their drug-taking past; it's certainly not something to be joked about. Mensch saw it differently. When presented with evidence she had, while working at EMI in the 1990s, taken drugs with Nigel Kennedy at Ronnie Scott's in Birmingham, and danced while drunk in front of journalists, she replied: "Although I do not remember the specific incident, this sounds highly probable. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Nigel Kennedy, whom I remember with affection. Additionally, since I was in my 20s, I'm sure it was not the only incident of the kind; we all do idiotic things when young. I am not a very good dancer and must apologise to any and all journalists who were forced to watch me dance that night." This had the dual benefit of killing off the hatchet job in waiting and making her look like a lovable human being for the first time. |
| Newsnight's new editor, former Guardian deputy editor Ian Katz, also has form with the comic sidestep after his Twitter "snoring, boring" gaffe about Rachel Reeves. Drawing attention to himself with a Twitter "fail" hashtag in the programme's end credits, he made it far harder for those willing him to fail to put the boot in. There's no point when the victim has put the boot into himself. | Newsnight's new editor, former Guardian deputy editor Ian Katz, also has form with the comic sidestep after his Twitter "snoring, boring" gaffe about Rachel Reeves. Drawing attention to himself with a Twitter "fail" hashtag in the programme's end credits, he made it far harder for those willing him to fail to put the boot in. There's no point when the victim has put the boot into himself. |
| Who came out best from Sachsgate? Jonathan Ross's apologised for remarks he and Russell Brand made on air about Andrew Sach's grand-daughter, Georgina Baillie, using the words "deeply sorry", "juvenile and thoughtless" and "stupid error of judgment", which somehow came across with the subtext: "Please God may this not screw up my career." Meanwhile, Brand resigned on the spot with a charming apology describing Baillie as a "very sweet and big-hearted woman" that was sincere and managed to suggest, "I screwed up. It's not that big a deal. Let's move on. No one died." The only thing that did nearly die was Ross's career, which has never quite recovered. | |
| Who was the only Australian cricketer the British public were sorry to see go home after the Ashes? David Warner. After becoming public enemy No 1 for lamping Joe Root in a night club, Warner played the role of pantomime villain and became the crowd's favourite. | Who was the only Australian cricketer the British public were sorry to see go home after the Ashes? David Warner. After becoming public enemy No 1 for lamping Joe Root in a night club, Warner played the role of pantomime villain and became the crowd's favourite. |
| Humour isn't just an endorphin thrill. It can be a career game-changer. While an apology might secure you some forgiveness, the ability to laugh at yourself can gain you a nation's affection. It can also earn you extra cash. George Michael turned his run-in with the cottaging cops into a music video for his song Outside. Gareth Southgate, Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle all had a laugh at their own expense over their penalty misses while playing for England in a Pizza Hut advert. And they didn't even have to eat a Pizza Hut pizza. I'd call that a result. | Humour isn't just an endorphin thrill. It can be a career game-changer. While an apology might secure you some forgiveness, the ability to laugh at yourself can gain you a nation's affection. It can also earn you extra cash. George Michael turned his run-in with the cottaging cops into a music video for his song Outside. Gareth Southgate, Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle all had a laugh at their own expense over their penalty misses while playing for England in a Pizza Hut advert. And they didn't even have to eat a Pizza Hut pizza. I'd call that a result. |
| • This article was amended on 7 October 2013. An earlier version described an apology by Jonathan Ross for remarks he and Russell Brand made on air about Andrew Sachs's grand-daughter as "weaselly and corporate" because it was issued through his solicitors and not made personally. In fact Ross's public apology was made via the BBC and was not issued by his solicitors. He also made a personal apology to the Sachs family. | |
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