Obviously we all watched, glanced at, reviewed, or read
about JPM CEO Jamie Dimon’s appearance before the Senate Banking Committee
yesterday. Many observers said that Mr. Dimon came out winning. Essentially, he won simply because he
didn’t lose, but more importantly, he appeared honest, prepared, contrite and
real. Let’s face it; this is no
easy task when the entire financial community and Washington are watching.
Following the testimony, CNBC colleagues asked Jim Cramer how
Mr. Dimon fared. His response was
to call him a loser 14 times, twice say he is stupid and then he professed that
Mr. Dimon himself agreed with this assessment. I am no body
language expert, but the others on stage looked a bit uncomfortable. You can watch it here via Dealbreaker’s
site.
What should communications professionals do if a reporter or
commentator goes off the rails against a client or executive? It’s always best
to maintain a healthy relationship with the press. But, of course, it’s not
always possible. In this
case, it is a careful balance of first, not adding fuel to an unpredictable
fire and second, keeping the offensive behavior in check.
This type of situation warrants a phone call, off-the-record
conversation and a request for an apology. I would not expect a public apology,
but the bad behavior should be flagged as unacceptable and won’t be tolerated. Here, the leverage is the relationship.
CNBC has had the privilege of many exclusive Dimon interviews, JPM doesn’t have to continue to do
that.
CNBC viewers watch the programming for sound financial
advice, market moving news, thoughtful opinions and light banter, not
unwarranted character assassinations.
This rant shows a lack of respect and a lack of class. CNBC is better
than that.
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