Don’t Go Viral for a Gaffe

You know that moment when you send an email and your stomach clenches? You wonder if you spelled the recipient's name correctly or remebered to attach the attachment. We've all felt it, right? Now imagine that email was going to be seen around the world. You'd get someone to proofread it, right? Right?

Go viral for the right reasons. Make sure your audience focuses on your message, not on errors.

As the world said goodbye to 2024, we also received the news that it was time to say goodbye to President Carter.

Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer who served our country in the military and then held the highest office in the land. He is most well-known for his work as a humanitarian, a lifelong volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, and for his devotion to his beloved wife, Rosalynn Carter.

Unfortunately, when a state government official extended sympathies to the family, they made a serious error. In a press release, the official extended condolences to Rosalynn Carter, who predeceased her husband by more than a year.

The gaffe was picked up by politicians, the press, and social media. People blamed AI, questioned who wrote the press release, took potshots at the official The mistake became its own story and detracted from the well-intended statement of sympathy.

Politicians typically don’t have proofreaders on their staff. It’s up to communications teams to proofread the work. This is such a stunning error, that I find it difficult to pin it on a single person. Instead, I think there was process breakdown. The late-president passed away on December 29, the weekend between Christmas and New Year’s Day. I suspect a lot of people were on vacation when the news broke.

All of us have been there. We’re rushing to get something out the door, think we have it, but we don’t. Fortunately, most of us don’t become memes or have our mistakes broadcast around the world.

❌ Don’t create an ancillary story

❌ Don’t let mistakes overshadow the main point

✅ Proofread

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