Thursday, July 10, 2008

No such thing as a dead microphone

Jesse Jackson learned this the hard way, as have numerous politicians and celebrities. Almost every on-camera news person (yours truly included) has said something he or she shouldn't have when he or she assumed the microphone was turned off. Surprise!

And you know what happens when you assume. (If you're famous enough, you end up on a tabloid with a really catchy headline.)

These days you not only have to contend with microphones that might be open, but if you're out in public you have to keep in mind that just about everyone has a video camera in the form of a cell phone. We live in a society that loves to take people down, one that worships success and roots for failure. And nothing is juicier in this internet age than video or sound of someone famous doing or saying something not meant for air.

If you're on the air, you're being watched. Not just at work, but at the supermarket, handing out balloons at the state fair, eating at a restaurant. While you're on the clock a limited number of hours, you're being observed 24/7. Keep that in mind at all times lest you end up as one of those famous videos on the internet.

Nothing is off the record anymore.

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