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Howard Stern owes Dolly Parton one heck of an apology!
By Lauren | May 19, 2008
So, what is it with Howard Stern? I full understand that he made his fame and fortune with “shock jock” radio talk designed to disgust the prim and delight the rebels among us. The problem with Stern’s approach, however, is that what’s shocking today will probably be humdrum tomorrow. That means that Stern has to keep upping the ante, getting more outrageous over time, if he wants his listeners to keep tuning in.
This time, though, I think Stern went over the line. He took a radio interview with Dolly Parton, that much-loved icon of American country music, and digitally edited it to make it sound as though Ms. Parton had some very ugly and uncouth things to say about some of her fellow performers. The piece was so raunchy that AOL wouldn’t post it, although AOL did very kindly provide its less fastidious readers with a link to another site where the piece could be heard. (Come on, AOL, you’re not fooling anyone. Honest.)
Ms. Parton says she’s horrified, and has apologized on her Website to her fans. She probably didn’t have to do so. The Stern piece had clearly been under the digital knife, and I doubt very much whether anyone with half a brain would believe for a minute that Ms. Parton actually said any of the awful things attributed to her.
Howard Stern, on the other hand, has some explaining to do. Yes, Dolly Parton is a public figure, and yes, satire is a legitimate art form – to a point. However, you don’t need to be a rabid fan to know that Ms. Parton is someone who would be deeply offended and hurt by such mistreatment. If the only way Stern can stay on the air is to twist decent people’s honest statements into abusive rants, maybe it’s time he took his retirement.
Ms. Parton has said she’s considering a lawsuit, and I won’t be surprised if she files one unless Stern acts fast. There are times when making a timely and effective apology can prevent a lawsuit, and this may well be one of them. So Howard, here’s a little piece of apology advice: put down your digital editing equipment, pick up your microphone, and give Dolly Parton the best public apology you can manage – right now. If you can’t do it alone, drop me a note and I’ll send you a copy of my book.
Topics: Apologies, Personal Ethics, ethics |