The Fickle Finger of Fields


(by mgh)

When Virginia Fields' mayoral campaign was caught distributing a photoshopped image of the candidate with an ethnically diverse array of constituents, here is how Fields did NOT react:

"I take full responsibility for this outrageous image. Obviously in the greatest, most diverse city in the world there is no need to manipulate a photo to show the wonderful rainbow of New Yorkers, and I apologize for this absurd oversight. I have taken appropriate internal action in my campaign to be sure that nothing like this ever happens again."

Here is what the candidate DID say (from NYTimes):
At her news conference, Ms. Fields blamed the company that produced her campaign literature, Winning Directions, a national firm. Ms. Fields read aloud from a letter from Winning Directions expressing regret at the mistake, but suggesting that creating a composite image is "in keeping with standard practices of the graphics industry."

"I accept Winning Directions' acknowledgement addressing their grave mistake and taking responsibility for this blunder," Ms. Fields said on the steps of City Hall flanked by several dozen Asian-American, Latino, African-American and white supporters.


(Hopefully, someone from the campaign had a camera this time.)

Two days later, she found someone else to blame (from NYTimes):
Ms. Fields, the only black candidate in the race, blamed [senior adviser Joseph] Mercurio for the doctored flier, saying in an interview that he had been in charge of producing campaign materials and that the stock photos had been used without her knowledge.

"I found that to be something totally unacceptable, and I wanted to know,'How did this come about?' " Ms. Fields said after arriving in Birmingham, Ala., where she grew up, for a fund-raiser last night. "Joe was a strategic adviser on a number of issues related to matters of that and so forth."


She then fired her long-time campaign manager, who in turn fired back saying that Fields was fully aware of the photoshop job and had pushed for the flier to be distributed against his advice. Then they both shut up after reading the next day's paper and seeing how silly they looked.

The New York Times began their story on this kerfuffle breathlessly ("The mayoral campaign of C. Virginia Fields slid into turmoil yesterday...") but the reality is less dramatic. Fields is popular, and it will take more than a bad photo for her supporters to abandon her. But she should know, as anyone who's watched even one episode of The Apprentice knows, that a leader assumes risk herself, takes responsibility herself, and leaves the finger-pointing to the Donald.


Posted: Tue - July 12, 2005 at 06:12 PM   | Category:     |   |   | |


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