Jeff Immelt's GE Shows Lack Of Integrity On Kayne West Non-Apology

Jeff Immelt's GE Shows Lack Of Integrity On Kayne West Non-Apology

By now you probably know the basics of this story: GE's television networks (NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC) hold a one-hour special on behalf of the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. During the live broadcast rapper Kayne West unleashes a rant that "George Bush doesn't care about black people!"  NBC bleeps this line from the delayed West Coast broadcast and issues an apology. End of story, at least as far as GE and NBC are concerned.

Not Exactly. Consider these facts:

• First off, the NBC apology" does not contain the words "sorry" or apologize" in any form: "Tonight's telecast was a live television event wrought with emotion. Kanye West departed from the scripted comments that were prepared for him, and his opinions in no way represent the views of the networks. It would be most unfortunate if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person's opinion." Weasel-worded corporate-speak.
• The non-apology only seems to be available on an NBC affiliate's website. It does not seem to be posted on NBC.com, the parent NBC Universal site, or at GE.com.
• In contrast, the Red Cross has a statement posted right on the press section of their web site. This statement too could be a lot stronger, but at least you can find it.
• Although GE.com does not seem to have room to carry their non-apology, GE has the space in three places to tout their Katrina efforts.
• The worst hypocrisy on the part of GE shows up on their MSNBC web site. There they have a full-size photo of Kayne West (with Mike Myers) with this caption: "Rapper Kayne West made some personal and highly charged comments about the government's reaction to the crisis in New Orleans as Mike Myers stood by." Personal and highly charged? How about "inappropriate" and "offensive" instead?
• During the show NBC had an opportunity to distance itself from these remarks, but didn't: As the show came to a close, host Matt Lauer noted that “emotions in this country right now are running very high. Sometimes that emotion is translated into inspiration, sometimes into criticism. We’ve heard some of that tonight. But it’s still part of the American way of life.” Really now? I wonder if Today Show co-host Katie Couric said live on coast-to-coast TV "Matt Lauer doesn't care for black people!" if he would still chalk it up to "the American way of life?"
• Then there's this entry from Mike Miller writing for MSNBC.com: Headline: Benefit concert goes from great to ‘wow’ . Great music goes with an important message, but Kanye West steals show. Miller goes on to write: Still can't believe Kanye West ripped Bush. That was great.  So the GE non-apology you can't find on their websites doesn't agree with Kayne West, but the page that's easy to find thinks it's "great".
• The bottom line is this, from Confederate Yankee: I just spoke to a Red Cross call center supervisor. Call centers have been deluged with complaints. ... NBC just hurt poor people. I hope it was worth it to get in a few cheap shots at the president.

I realize a lot of things happen in a big company, and no serious person expects perfection all the time. But now that GE's reputation for Integrity has been tarnished by this unfortunate incident, here are the simple steps GE CEO Jeff Immelt should take to repair the damage:

1. Issue a real apology to George W. Bush, the Red Cross, and to the American people.
2. Post the apology on their web sites so people can find it.
3. Post a conspicuous disclaimer on the MSNBC articles that they do not reflect the opinion of GE/NBC on this unfortunate incident.
4. Perform a comprehensive review of the 7-second-delay procedures that allowed this to occur in the first place. GE's still big on Six Sigma, and this ought to make a great Six Sigma project for some eager young GE employee who wants to help the company.