Christopher Grullon
Blog 3
On Monday, February 25th 2013, Penn State University held three guest speakers, who discussed Ethics in the time of a crisis. President of the Lukaszewski Group, Jim Lukaszewski, is a consultant on crisis management. Steve Manuel served as a public affairs official for the Office of the Secretary Of Defense and a Marine Corps spokesperson until his retirement. Finally, Genaro Armas, a reporter for the Associated Press.
In the lecture, many ethical points about the Sandusky case were brought up. In this case Jerry Sandusky was caught showering with an individual in the men’s locker room. A former player saw this incident and reported it to his coach, at the time, Joe Paterno. After the matter was brought to the courts in 1998, there was not enough evidence to deem Jerry Sandusky as guilty, according to the judges. Although, Joe Paterno did not confess to the courts.
In the “Integrity in Times of Crisis” Lecture Luckaszewski stated five rules, for one of them stated, “Silence is the most toxic strategy you can chose.” I agree. If Paterno would have came clean in 1998 Penn State would not have had to handle this matter ten years after. By taking this action others suffered the consequences of one man’s actions. According to “The Freeh Report,” written by Matt Rudnitsky, he stated a quote, “Before May 1998, several staff members and football coachers regularly observed Sandusky showering with young boys in the Lasch building (now the East Area Locker Building or “Old Lasch”) None of the individuals interviewed notified their superiors of this behavior.”
Because of these hidden facts, in 1998 Sandusky was deemed not guilty, there were not enough facts to convict him. By hiding that truth it forced the victims to bear this memory with themselves for over ten years. Joe Paterno, although it was not his job, it was his place as the coach of PSU Football to have had reported the truth. A coach is supposed to define leadership and authority. Joe Paterno was, and by many still considered, the face of PSU Football. By him hiding this truth, he is conveying that the truth should be covered up if they will hurt your friends or an establishment. Yet zero consideration was taken in Joe Paterno’s eyes, at the time, for the victims of Sandusky.
Mark May stated, that once he heard the news of Paterno withholding the truth, that is when all the positive things Paterno had done was of no concern. Much of the media stomped on Joe Paterno’s legacy, but others say he is still a legend. The issue with reports like the Freeh report, or the comments by Mark May, is that it makes Paterno’s family and PSU, and all faculty and staff of PSU seem as if they are liars who were protecting a child molester. With all of this in mind, the way the media portrayed this case it made people, who know nothing of PSU, to think it was planned by Paterno and the university.
In this lecture I have learned many things one of them, being my favorite, is a simple yet valuable concept. “Communication in Communications is very important.” Once journalists, witnesses, anyone sways away from communication in a serious matter, it will only make matters worse. Also how important it is to maintain tranquility and show sympathy to victims when interviewing about cases as fragile as Sandusky case. People may often be dismayed, even if they were not involved, they feel as though they have a relationship with the matter.
References:
http://www.sportsgrid.com/ncaa-football/freeh-report-summary/
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2011/11/penn-state-joe-paterno-press-conference-cancelled/1#.UTAzEjCmiAg
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8160430/college-football-joe-paterno-enabled-jerry-sandusky-lying-remaining-silent
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/12/review-into-penn-states-handling-of-sandusky-scandal-to-be-released/