seems to me summers was only mentioned twice, including mention of "all the explaining, defending and apologizing that followed" his comments. the story itself was more than 1,000 words about recovering from a blunder -- not some long-winded diatribe about his gaffe. sounds like you just like taking petty pot shots at the media, which of course on your web site is your right....tsk tsk....





Mopping up after a verbal blunder

By Pat Burson Tribune Newspapers

Newsday April 14, 2005

In an attempt to be provocative while speaking at an economics conference earlier this year, Harvard University President Lawrence Summers fired off a faux pas heard 'round the world.

His suggestion that fewer women are entering math and science careers because of "innate" differences between the sexes thrust the former treasury secretary and World Bank economist into the media spotlight, touched off an uproar in international scientific and academic circles, triggered a near-revolt among his faculty and placed his future at the Ivy League school in question.

With all the explaining, defending and apologizing that followed, it also landed him in the Verbal Blunder Hall of Shame.

It just proves that no one is immune from saying something so clumsy, inaccurate, outlandish or uncouth that he or she regrets it. Fortunately, foot-in-mouth disease need not be fatal, say psychologists, workplace coaches and communications experts, but certain steps are necessary to recover from such a misstep.

What Summers did is pretty common. "He kept digging the hole deeper," says Robin Wolaner, author of "Naked in the Boardroom: A CEO Bares Her Secrets So You Can Transform Your Career" (Fireside/Simon & Schuster, $20). "He made some remarks that were probably well-intentioned, but he was stupid in the way he presented them."

For those who commit a verbal blunder, it's important to figure out a recovery strategy in short order,. . .