George Stephanopoulos Got It Wrong

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I know there are some people listening right now who are tuning into my show for the first time because maybe you’ve heard some things about me in the past couple of weeks.  I’d like to correct some myths you might have heard.  First of all, I am not now… nor have I ever been… related to the vampires of Transylvania.  I only bite when asked.

If you watched Larry King last Tuesday, then you heard I’ll be ending my national radio show in December after 17 years.  Seventeen years.  Well, I never got the criticism I couldn’t hold down a job.
 
Oh, I’m sorry. Actually, I’m wrong.  Because last Wednesday - the morning after I was on Larry King… George Stephanopoulos… does everyone know who he is?  He used to work for the government?  George Stephanopoulos?  Well, he now has a full-time job on “Good Morning America.”  And last Wednesday he had this to say about me leaving radio.  Benjamin….roll tape.

SFX:  “Well, she had no choice.  She was fired, right?”  (gunshot sound)

I’m sorry, could you say that again, George?

SFX:  “Well, she had no choice.  She was fired, right?”  (gunshot sound)

I’d like to make it clear for the record and for those of you who are …. Confused.  I own my own company.  I own me. The only person who can fire me… is me.  And I didn’t fire me….  (pause)

I just gave myself 4 months notice.

Honestly, I didn’t hear about George’s little SNAFU until this morning.  But my staff heard about his gaffe last week.  So they called ABC and - the network George is on… they called ABC and asked “Did we hear that right?”  And “Would you mind issuing a correction?”
 
And the producer at ABC was very nice.  She seemed to understand George had made an error… a factual mistake on a news show… and she would see what George and ABC would do about it.  So here it is, a  whole week later.  Can I tell you what they’ve done about it? 

SFX:  (Sound of crickets)

Nothing!!

Let me get this straight.  You make a factual mistake.  You know it’s a factual mistake.  You are asked to correct your factual mistake…  And a week later…

SFX:  (Sound of crickets)
 
Hmmmmm…
 
My guess is they think nobody heard it, so therefore… it doesn’t matter.
 
You know… if a tree falls in the woods and no-one’s around?  If a newscaster makes a mistake and he has no ratings???

Well, you know I am a believer in free speech and debate.  I just prefer to pontificate myself, but that’s just me. So I figured I would let a larger audience hear George’s opinion and play it on my show today.  Could you play George again, please? 

SFX:  “Well, she had no choice.  She was fired, right?”  (gunshot sound)

One more time - George’s opinion as to why I am leaving radio…

SFX:  “Well, she had no choice.  She was fired, right?”  (gunshot sound)

Now that’s George’s opinion.  I was going to be fired.  My opinion is I was NOT about to fire myself…  It would hurt my feelings.
 
Now, we’re going to play a little game here.  If you think ABC and George Stephanopoulos should be accountable and correct their factual error, I want you to let them know since they’re a news show.  Go to my website:  www.drlaura.com.  You’ll see a link to a page where you can send George and Good Morning America an email telling them… George Got it Wrong about Dr. Laura.  Dr. Laura did not fire herself…

SFX:  “Well, she had no choice.  She was fired, right?”  (gunshot sound)

Okay.  I am having a little fun here.  But I do have a serious point to make.  And that is news sources are supposed to be coming forward about facts and not someone’s OPINION, AGENDA, GUESS, OR WISHFUL THINKING.  The reason most of you (and enough polls have shown this) don’t trust news reporting much is because you’ve realized much of what passes for NEWS these days is IN FACT opinion, agenda, guesses, wishful thinking,  or in this case… just wrong.

Sarah Palin Tweets in Support

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I want to make a public statement about Sarah Palin; former Governor of Alaska and candidate for Vice President of the United States. 

As you know, Tuesday night I announced that I will leave radio at the end of my contract in December so I can speak freely and openly about issues that concern me without fear of retribution against my advertisers and radio stations.

 
On Wednesday, in her Tweet and Facebook, Sarah Palin made strong statements in my support.  You may remember that, two years ago, I was less than enthusiastic when she was selected by John McCain to be his running mate, as my concerns were that having responsibilities for small children should preclude such a decision. 
 
In spite of my criticism of that time, Sarah Palin came out in support of my decision to move on and tweeted this:
Dr.Laura:don’t retreat…reload! (Steps
aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased
2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence”isn’t
American,not fair”)
 
Dr.Laura=even more powerful &
effective w/out the shackles, so watch
out Constitutional obstructionists. And
b thankful 4 her voice,America!
I spoke with her yesterday and told her how impressed I was with her character.  You don’t see such character much these days.  I believe most folks would have had a more negative approach considering I had not been supportive at that time.  But, nope, not Sarah.  She is gracious and a woman of principles – no petty reaction.
 
She and I have a lot in common.  We both find ourselves on the receiving end of vitriolic partisan attacks.  We both made huge changes in our lives to be able to protect the people we love and have a freer context in which to try to help America’s families.
 
By the way, we had to end our conversation after a few minutes because she had to get her kidlet off to first day at school.  Seriously adorable moment.

What I’ve Learned From the Events of the Past Week

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Listen to “What I’ve Learned From the Events of the Past Week” here

To those of you who are listening right now, I appreciate it.  Thank you for tuning in to my show. 
 
Now, last Tuesday I used a word that I had never used before on air.  I pulled myself off at the end of the hour.  With one hour to go, we played a tape.  Truthfully, I was so upset with myself; I was shaking.    
 
That same night I wrote my apology (about 8 o’clock at night).  That same evening I gave Don Barrett, who is the publisher of LARadio.com, a statement which he published at 7am the next morning.  I got my people up early and put the apology on my blog at 8am.  We sent a letter — sort of - it was an email) to 200,000 members of my online family to let them know that, at noon, that day, I would be issuing an apology.  I would fully apologize for saying that word at the top of my show on Wednesday.  And if you haven’t heard it and would like to hear it, you can, still, because we posted it at www.drlaura.com.
 
I have no trouble apologizing when I’m wrong and I never apologize for effect.  I apologize ONLY when it is really coming from my heart.  In over 30 years in radio this was the first such circumstance and I made the promise that it will never happen again. 
 
Well today it’s one day short of a week since I said the word.  And I thought, today, I would talk to you about what has happened… and what I have learned.
 
Now, the day I said the word… I received a variety of emails from listeners.  There were many that expressed disappointment.  Several said that they felt they would have trouble listening to me again.   To each one of those emails, I responded with a personal apology.  I even read one of those letters during the on-air apology.
 
And then, after I apologized, I received more letters.  Many asked me why I needed to apologize.  A few said they were still upset at what I had done.  But most of the letters I received, while expressing dismay with what I did in the first place, were appreciative and gracious, accepting my apology. 
 
I want to make it clear to you that my apology on Wednesday morning didn’t have any conditions… it didn’t have any hesitation… and I think it’s important for everybody to be clear about the sincerity of that apology.  It was made while there were absolutely no demands for me to apologize.  Nobody had demanded that I apologize.  It came from my heart because I knew I had done the wrong thing. 
 
Now, despite all my efforts and sincere desire to express my remorse fully and publicly, it was not until Thursday evening that the news media started getting on the story.  Since then I have received support from many of you thanking me for the apology and encouraging me to soldier on. 
 
However, as the media have rebroadcast my error again and again and again and again, compounding the damage which I shouldn’t have done… and never intended to do in the first place… the effect has been that my words have offended many, many, many, many more people and there are many who are saying they will not accept my apology. 
 
Now, every time I take a call from one of you and you are upset with yourself that you’ve done something wrong and you want to make amends, I tell you you have to follow the four “R”’s -
 
Take Responsibility for your mistake.  Make an immediate apology.
 
Show true Remorse.   Don’t try to explain away your action or defend it.
 
Repair what is in your power to Repair.
 
Make a commitment to never Repeat.

• Responsibility
• Remorse
• Repair
• Repeat

Those are my four R’s.  I’ve been teaching you guys that for over 30 years that I’ve been on radio.
 
But there are things out of my control.  There will be people out there who will not accept my apology.  And, just like I tell you folks, we can’t control that.  I can’t control that.  I hope they will listen to what I have to say, and watch what I do.  But the only thing that is in my control is what I say and do.
 
Now, what makes me sad…what pains my heart deeply…is that, beyond the reasoned letters which I continue to get, I have heard comments from some broadcasters and letters from some people that cannot be described as anything other than hate-filled diatribes.  Hate-filled.  This does not make me angry, but it hurts my heart. 
 
My hope with my apology, which was true and immediate and uncoerced, was that the silver lining might be that a dialogue be started to stop hate and bigotry.  I still hold out some hope… but I am a realist and I fear that there are those who frankly want to encourage hate and anger.
 
Now, when I first started out in radio, people would disagree…they DISAGREED…they didn’t HATE.  They didn’t try to censor, they didn’t try to destroy an opposing point of view.  Instead…they just argued and debated, and argued and disagreed, and debated and argued.  But our society has changed dramatically.  Self-appointed activist types breed hate, breed anger, breed destruction should anyone hold up a mirror or dare to disagree.  This environment, as you know, is not only in radio and television…it is in politics; it’s in every area of our society…in your neighborhoods, in your school districts, at work… 
 
But for those of you who don’t accept my apology, I’d like to say… that’s your choice.  But I hope, in time, through what I say and what I don’t say… through what I do and what I don’t do… you’ll change your mind. 
 
For those of you who accept my apology:  Thank you.  And I hope I will continue to earn your good will and grace.

A True Hero and a Real Man

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Keith McVey lives in Akron, Ohio.  He’s 53 years old and is a mailman.  Everyone in Akron knows him.  Recently, he saved the life of another person for the third time in his life. 

While delivering the mail, he noticed a panicked man trying to revive his unconscious friend at the back of a pickup.  “He said his buddy wasn’t breathing,” explained McVey.  “I thought, well, let’s see what’s going on.  Sometimes you just have to act.”

While trained in CPR,  McVey had never actually performed it before.  He began chest compressions for several minutes, waiting for both a pulse and the paramedics.  The unconscious man regained a pulse, the paramedics arrived, and what did McVey do?  Not go home; not go to the local TV station to become a star; not hang around for applause.

No….he picked up his mailbag and continued his deliveries. 

Why?

“…if I don’t finish up, they’d have to take all my mail back,” he explained.  “I didn’t want anybody to have to pick up my slack.”

I am not minimizing the CPR part at all - that was truly lifesaving.  I am maximizing the humble sense of responsibility that never left his mind.  He was going to finish his route, because it was his job and he didn’t want to burden or inconvenience someone else.  That is the truly heroic part for me.  No arrogance, no sense of entitlement, no grabbing at any opportunity to get out of work.

That’s a true hero….and a REAL man.

My Apology

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Listen to “My Apology” here

These are my opening comments from my radio program today:

I talk every day about doing the right thing.  And yesterday, I did the wrong thing. 

I didn’t intend to hurt people, but I did.  And that makes it the wrong thing to have done.

I was attempting to make a philosophical point, and I articulated the “n” word all the way out - more than one time.  And that was wrong.  I’ll say it again - that was wrong.

I ended up, I’m sure, with many of you losing the point I was trying to make, because you were shocked by the fact that I said the word.  I, myself, realized I had made a horrible mistake, and was so upset I could not finish the show.  I pulled myself off the air at the end of the hour.  I had to finish the hour, because 20 minutes of dead air doesn’t work.  I am very sorry.  And it just won’t happen again.

I received some letters, and what touched me is that, even though many of you were upset, you still showed friendship for all the years we’ve been together on the air, and for that, trust me, I am very grateful.  Here’s an example:

I’d like to thank this woman for sending me this letter.  I was so very touched, and truthfully, it helped me make it through the night.  So I’m going to read this letter:

Dear Dr. Laura:

I have been a listener for at least 20 years.  I have bought and read several of your books.  I have always held you in high regard, and have encouraged others to listen to you as well.  I have to say, after today’s call with the African-American woman with the Caucasian husband who called seeking how to handle “racist” comments, I am a bit dismayed.  I believe that African-Americans using the n-word is disdainful, as well as Caucasians or any other race for that matter.  I agree that the argument some African-Americans use that it is ok for them to use it and not others, is ridiculous.  But, I have to say, when I heard you saying the word repeatedly, it struck a negative chord with me.

I don’t believe you are a racist, and I don’t believe, as an African-American woman, that I am hypersensitive.  I have to say after the call, I found it difficult to continue to listen to the rest of the show.  I have not made the decision to stop listening to your show, but I felt compelled to respond because I found it offensive.

Sincerely {and she gives her name}

One last note -
The caller in question (her name is Jade), called for help from me, and didn’t get it, because we got embroiled in the “n” word, and I’m really sorry about that, because I’m here for only one reason and that’s to be helpful, so I hope Jade or somebody who knows her is listening, and hope she will call me back and I will try my best to be helpful, which is what she wanted from me in the first place and what she did not get.

I Apologize

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I always tell my listeners when they mess up, they need to follow the four R’s:  take responsibility, have true remorse, try to repair it, and don’t repeat it.  Yesterday, I messed up.  I used the “n” word on-air, and I regretted it as soon as the call was over.  While it was in the context of making a point about the unfortunate use of that term by others who deem it acceptable or funny, it is a word that is hateful, hurtful and I should not have used it even to prove a point.  After the call, I was terribly upset about it and after that hour of the program concluded, pulled myself off the air for the rest of the show.  Today, at the top of my program, I will apologize to my listeners.

You’ll Never Believe What He Did Now…

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When the girls get together, here’s what happens…

Or watch other videos at youtube.com/DrLaura.

Read transcript here.

Sometimes Kids Are Just Bad Seeds

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There seems to be a general unwillingness to point out that some people are just evil.  I was frustrated when psychiatrist Keith Ablow wrote an essay on foxnews.com espousing the “understanding” of women and men who prey sexually on children.  He “formatted” them all as mentally ill.

I was not frustrated when, years ago, another psychiatrist, answering a question about how the Hillside Strangler could capture, torture, and kill people, answered truthfully that “some people are evil.”

Dr. Ablow is dead wrong.  Although mental health professionals are trained to see everything through the pink glasses of “kids are bad because their parents are bad,” it just ain’t true.  If you are one of those parents with a belligerent, nasty, uncooperative, petty criminal, drugged-out bummy kid (when your other kids are just fine citizens), you should not blame yourself.

We’re all impressed when a kid from a really bad home ends up living a quality life - kind, hard-working, and loving.  How come we don’t recognize the opposite:  a really great home can produce a bad kid?

There’s no question that parental problems and environment do, of course, impact children, but everyday character traits also have hard-wired genetic components that cannot be remedied by loving parents and a lovely, serene home in the suburbs.

In other words, there are bad seeds.  Parents frustrated with those children may possibly aggravate the situation, but they didn’t create it.

So many people call me who are sad about their recalcitrant adult children.  In some cases, you parents have earned that, but sometimes, you just need to shut the door on what is an impossible mission.