Last modified on August 2, 2011 by Brad Phillips

Six Media Disasters That Make Me Laugh

This week is the Mr. Media Training Blog’s First Anniversary! To celebrate, I’ll be running special content this week.

Over the past year, this blog has featured dozens of dreadful media gaffes committed by public figures.

Today, I’ve selected my six favorite media disasters from the past year or so – videos that make me laugh, shake my head, cringe, or all three.

Grab your coffee mug, watch the videos, and tell me which one is your favorite by leaving a comment below!

1. An Unusually Passionate Campaign Speech: Phil Davison seems like a nice guy. Last year, he ran to become the treasurer of Stark County, Ohio. He didn’t get the job – but he left this highly memorable clip behind.

 

2. This Cornell Professor HATES Yawning: Sure, it’s rude if someone yawns loudly in your class. But Professor Mark Talbert’s disproportionate response made this video a YouTube sensation.

 

3. Carly Fiorina Reinforces Unfair “Cat Fight” Stereotypes: The morning after winning the California Republican Senate Primary, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO ripped into her opponent’s hairdo in the moments before a television interview began. She never recovered, and her opponent, incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer, cruised to victory. This one’s a real groaner.

 

4. Senator Alan Simpson Tries to Demonstrate His Rap Bona Fides: Former Senator Alan Simpson, who served on President Obama’s entitlement commission, appeared on the Fox News Channel to talk about Social Security and Medicare reform. His cranky pants rant ended up making him look more like American Idol’s “Pants on the Ground” guy.

Note to grandparents: It’s always going to be funny if you think Eminem is called “Enema Man” and Snoop Doggy Dogg is known as “Snoopy Snoopy Poop Dog.”

5. Anthony Weiner: When caught with his hand in the cookie jar (or, more accurately, his finger on his Blackberry’s Twitter app), Mr. Weiner tried the old “call the reporter a ‘jackass’” routine. Days later, he resigned in shame.

 

6. Eating a Cooking: I’ve run this video a few times on the blog, but it never gets old. If anything, it ages better than a fine Bordeaux. In this video, you’ll see a unique media relations approach employed by the CEO of the Alberta government agency responsible for the health of more than 3.5 million Canadians.

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Related: 12 Things I Learned After One Year As a Blogger