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March 26, 2007
Howard K. Stern's Reputation Still In Crisis - Was He Involved In The Death of Anna Nicole Smith's Son, Daniel?
PHOTO: Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez Holding Daniel Smith's Police Investigation Documents In Court
"Jurors' responsibilities will include assessing potential liability in Daniel Smith's death, and they could recommend that prosecutors pursue criminal charges."
Said Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez in the Bahamas.
Now that we finally got confirmation that Anna Nicole Smith died of an "accidential overdose" of prescription drugs, another investigation is speeding up in the Bahamas.
As the various players prepare to participate in the inquest, Anna Nicole Smith's former friends, G. Ben Thompson and his son-in-law Ford Shelley, share the revelation that Daniel may have been grappling with anorexia.
"[Anna] was worried he was anorexic," Shelley tells Entertainment Tonight's Mark Steines.
"He had a touch of anorexia and depression and we had been told that he had been hospitalized [before]," says Thompson.
On September 10, 2006, Anna Nicole's son died at the age of 20 while visiting his mom and newborn baby sister, Dannielynn, in the Bahamas. The cause of death was later determined to be a lethal combination of methadone, Zoloft and Lexapro.
Daniel had reportedly been depressed over a relationship, and Thompson says he believes the young man had been prescribed medication for his depression.
Along with that, Thompson says, "He just couldn't eat."
PHOTO: Daniel Smith and His Mom Anna Nicole Smith In Happier Days Before Their Deaths
"Daniel was going through a rough time, emotionally," says Shelley. "We know that because we shared those months with Anna and she told us."
This was the first part of the tragedy that took over the end of Anna Nicole's life. The inquest into Daniel Smith's untimely death begins tomorrow, Tuesday, in the Bahamas, and on CNN's Showbiz Tonight, AJ Hammer and TMZ.com Managing editor Harvey Levin discussed the role of Howard K. Stern.
Hammer said on the CNN nightly entertainment television show: What happened to Daniel? Anna Nicole's 20-year-old son died just five months before she did from a lethal combination of Methadone and two anti-depressants.
A formal inquest starts this week in the Bahamas. As many as 40 people will be called as witnesses. And CNN's Showbiz Tonight can tell you, Howard K. Stern will be the subject of scrutiny.
Levin chimed in: "There will be at least one witness who is scheduled to testify that Howard K. Stern gave Daniel the Methadone that contributed to his death, and then flushed the remainder down the toilet after he died. I'm not saying that's true…"
A.J. responded, "True or not, the chief magistrate overseeing the inquest has said that Anna Nicole's mysterious death has increased the interest in Howard K. Stern."
PHOTO: Howard K. Stern Faces Hungry Media With Increased Scrutiny In The Bahamas
As noted by many, Stern is the common thread. And so far, he seems to have escaped the serious questions and the mysteries that have surrounded the death of the mother and her son.
No more says Mr. Levin, "The common link is that both were around one person, in this case, Howard K. Stern. It's got to raise some issues, not necessarily that he killed somebody, but what's going on that people who should not be dying are dying on his watch?"
PHOTO: Daniel Smith's Body Being Put In A Hearse About 6 Months Ago
A few comments from the Reputation Doctor regarding Howard K. Stern's reputation in crisis.
Howard K. Stern's reputation continues to be in crisis and he also continues to be in denial.
As Daniel Smith's inquest begins this week, look for all eyes to be on Howard K. Stern's potential role in Daniel's death. A few key questions: 1) Did Howard give Daniel any of the drugs which killed him? 2)What was Howard and Daniel's relationship like just before Daniel's death, tense or friendly, and why? 3) Did Daniel think Howard's relationship with his mother was good or bad for her and why? 4) Did Howard have a potential motive for having Daniel out of his mother's life?
Howard K. Stern has already been found guilty in the court of public opinion.
The court of public opinion is just as important or more important than the court of law for the long term in high profile cases like this. In my expert opinion, Howard K. Stern is the next O.J. However, I personally think Stern may get away with murder- twice. The evidence may not be there to actually prove it in the court of law, but many believe he is already guilty in the court of public opinion.
As I have said many times before, the truth will set Howard free!
In my opinion, Howard will soon be considered among "the walking dead" in the court of public opinion like O.J. I believe his lies will leave him in a cold world of denial, hubris and loneliness. We must remember Howard K. Stern was working for Anna Nicole Smith for "free" (on contingency with outside expenses being paid by his parents and Anna Nicole) for many years and he had plans of reaping his reward when Anna's appeals finally ended for her estate settlement from her 2nd husband and billionaire, J. Howard Marshall. Many believe Daniel and Dannielynn put a wrench in Stern's long-term plans to officially marry Anna Nicole and enjoy her riches. The bottom line is Anna Nicole is now dead and so is her son, Daniel and Dannielynn will soon be living with her biological father. As a result, Howard K. Stern's house of cards are crashing down. In my opinion, his reputation will also continue to be in crisis. However, he has one last hope: to enter "a 12-step program for his reputation" and it would begin with being honest with himself and then it must include telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in the court of law and the court of public opinion. This would require hiring a seasoned reputation management and crisis PR counselor. Sadly, I think fear will keep him from doing the right thing.
Remember, do the right thing when your reputation is in crisis and seek the counsel of an experienced reputation management expert. It will be a major challenge, but ultimately the rewards of repairing your reputation will be great. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything! ™
About Mike Paul
Mike Paul is editor of The Reputation Doctor blog. The Reputation Doctor is a nickname given to him by various clients. Mike's blog is located at www.ReputationDoctor.com. He appears regularly on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, ABC News, ESPN, CBS News, BBC, and others as a weekly contributor and expert in the global news regarding leaders, celebrities, corporations and other organizations with reputations in crisis. Mr. Paul is also president and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR (www.mgppr.com), a leading strategic public relations and reputation management firm based in New York. For interview requests, speeches, senior counseling or other business opportunities with Mr. Paul, call 212-595-8500 or email info@mgppr.com.
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March 2, 2007
Rat Infested NYC Restaurants Caught on Video Face Reputations In Crisis
PHOTO: A video grab shows rats scampering around inside a KFC-Taco Bell restaurant in Greenwich Village in NYC
“We are embarrassed by the situation and stress that certain restaurants did not meet the very high standards that we set for ourselves.”
Said ADF President Don Harty, trying to apologize to customers after viewing the video of his rat infested restaurant in NYC. ADF, a decade-old company, owns more than 350 fast-food restaurants in several states and is among the nation's largest operators of Pizza Huts.
According to A.P., a major owner of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell franchises saw a majority of its New York City restaurants shut down Thursday as the fallout continued from a video showing rats overrunning one of its Manhattan eateries.
The city's health department revealed that three more restaurants owned by the ADF Cos., of Fairfield, N.J., were closed by inspectors this week because of unsanitary conditions. Two, both in Queens, were found to be infested with mice.
The new closures prompted swift action by fast-food giant Yum Brands Inc., parent of the KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut chains.
Late Wednesday it announced the pre-emptive closing of 10 additional New York restaurants operated by ADF. It said they would remain shuttered until city inspectors gave them a clean bill of health.
Shares of Yum Brands slid 84 cents, or 1.4 percent, to close at $57.10 on the New York Stock Exchange.
"We will not compromise on our food and restaurant quality," Yum Brands executive Emil Brolick said in a written statement.
ADF President Don Harty apologized to customers for the problems.
"We are embarrassed by the situation and stress that certain restaurants did not meet the very high standards that we set for ourselves," he said in a statement.
The decade-old company owns more than 350 fast-food restaurants in several states and is among the nation's largest operators of Pizza Huts.
As of Thursday afternoon, eight of its 22 New York restaurants had passed an inspection and were allowed to remain open. ADF spokeswoman Marissa Smith said it was unclear how soon the others might reopen.
City inspectors put the company in their cross hairs last week, when a TV cameraman peering through the windows of a KFC/Taco Bell in Greenwich Village at 2:30 a.m. recorded a nauseating number of rats skittering across the floor and climbing on tables and countertops.
PHOTO: NYC pedestrians look at rats scampering in KFC-Taco Bell restaurant in Greenwich Village
The video, which circulated on the Internet, also brought shame on the city for giving a passing grade to the eatery during an inspection just a day earlier.
A follow-up inspection resulted in the restaurant's immediate closure.
NYC Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said this week that the city's failure to immediately shut the restaurant was unacceptable, and he removed the inspector who conducted the initial review from field duty. He also promised that other inspectors could expect a thorough analysis of their work.
Several restaurant owners complained they had been given excessively punitive inspections in the scandal's wake.
"After what happened in Manhattan, now they are cracking down on every restaurant," said Ted Vlamis, whose Vegas Diner in Brooklyn failed an inspection and was ordered closed by the Department of Health on Wednesday.
In 25 years of operation, Vlamis said, the restaurant had never been judged so harshly. This week's inspection, he said, resulted in seven times as many violation points as the diner received in its last evaluation a year ago -- all for minor infractions.
"Two weeks ago, we would have been fine," Vlamis said.
Health department spokeswoman Sara Markt denied that any special crackdown was ongoing.
Currently, about 1 in 5 city restaurants fail their annual inspection. About 500 of the 60,000 restaurants score poorly enough for the city to order them closed at least temporarily.
Some of the city's most famous restaurants have flunked a recent inspection, from the iconic Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to the Hello Deli on 53rd Street, famous for the appearances of proprietor Rupert Jee on CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman."
Over the past two fiscal years, inspectors have fined restaurants $38 million for code violations.
New York Restaurant Association Executive Vice President E. Charles Hunt said he worried that the media scrutiny of restaurants this week might make some inspectors overzealous.
"Human nature being what it is, there is probably a good possibly that some of the inspectors might go overboard," he said. "I hope that doesn't happen."
PHOTO: David C. Novak, CEO of Yum Brands, the world’s largest restaurant holding company with brands like Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut
A few comments from the Reputation Doctor regarding the NYC rats in restaurant crisis:
A humble apology is the only way to handle rats scampering around on tape within your restaurant.
When the world sees rats on tape in your restaurant, there is no denying it. Spin never works and it should not be used here. A humble apology is the best first step with no "ifs" or "buts" in your statement.
Be willing to invite TV news crews back at night after the problems have been permanently addressed to publicly record all the positive changes.
The visual of rats scampering around in a restaurant is difficult to remove from our minds, especially for current or former customers. The only way to win back customers for the long run is to turn your restaurant into the cleanest restaurant in NYC. Develop new cleaning policies and hold all employees accountable, including management. Also clog up all holes permanently so rats and mice never return and allow all of your changes to the restaurant to be transparent and communicated to customers through the media to win back trust.
Trying to isolate the problem to the local restaurant chain in NYC will not stop national reporters and restaurant analysts from questioning Yum Brands CEO David C. Novak about the rat infestation in NYC.
Yum Brands' CEO needs to be very supportive of his local restaurant chains. The corporation needs to continue to communication that the rat infestation was unacceptable, but he also needs to offer the local restaurant help from the corporate level because both brands are in the crisis. Also don’t allow the legal department to lead the charge. This is a reputation crisis and seasoned public relations counselors are the experts in the court of public opinion and must lead. Yum Brands needs to openly, actively and transparently communicate how they are helping these troubled restaurants at the local level and give a weekly update on progress being made during the next 30 days or more in NYC.
Remember, do the right thing when your reputation is in crisis and seek the counsel of an experienced reputation management expert. It will be a major challenge, but ultimately the rewards of repairing your reputation will be great. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything! ™
About Mike Paul
Mike Paul is editor of The Reputation Doctor blog. The Reputation Doctor is a nickname given to him by various clients. Mike's blog is located at www.ReputationDoctor.com. He appears regularly on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, ABC News, ESPN, CBS News, BBC, and others as a weekly contributor and expert in the global news regarding corporations, CEOs, celebrities, athletes, politicians and other public organizations and public individuals with reputations in crisis. Mr. Paul is also president and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR (www.mgppr.com), a leading strategic public relations and reputation management firm based in New York. For interview requests, speeches, senior counseling or other business opportunities with Mr. Paul, call 212-595-8500 or email info@mgppr.com.
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