Paula Deen Fights for Reputation After Diabetes Controversy
By Alex Jordan
Paula Deen is known for her fried Southern cooking. She has made an empire on comfort food and her charismatic way of teaching the wonders of butter. Her reputation for being the queen of these decadent dishes came into question when it was revealed in early 2012 that she had type 2 diabetes, and had been living with the secret for three years. Many people considered Deen a hypocrite for continuing to promote such unhealthy foods while being fully aware that poor eating habits is without a doubt a contributing factor to type 2 diabetes. A big question was why she waited three years to go public with the information of her disease. Many speculated it was of fear that the information would hurt her business empire. As Deen’s new endeavor as spokesperson for the diabetes drug company Novo Nordisk became clear, the public speculated that her real reason for waiting to come out about the diabetes was that she really wanted to make a profit from the situation. To say the least, Paula Deen had some explaining to do to, and had to strategically plan her next moves in order to keep her well-liked, fun, charming persona.
On January 17, 2012 Paula Deen made an appearance on the “Today Show” where she was interviewed by Al Roker.
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Deen’s choice to appear on the program, as well as the framing and emphasis she placed on topics and statements during the interview, are examples of the public relations theory of agenda setting. There are a few things Deen does to shape the agenda during the interview to help her image. Firstly, when Roker asks Deen why she waited to share the news of her disease she explains that she needed to reflect and process the information — in a way playing the sympathy card. She goes on to say that she also waited because she wanted to be able to give something to her fellow diabetics when she came out, in terms of information, help or guidance. In the interview Deen says she “wanted to bring something to the table” when she revealed the news (I am sure the chef did not intend the pun).
Another strategic move made by Paula Deen during the interview with Al Roker was having a doctor join her for a segment. The doctor spoke about type 2 diabetes but never came out and said unhealthy eating can cause the disease. She even said it is still unknown what exactly causes it. This is an example of agenda setting because while it would be impossible to give the public every fact about type 2 diabetes, the statements by the doctor were worded in a way to make people consider many other possible reasons for Paula Deen’s disease other than her fat-filled, fried cooking. During the interview, Deen herself never once takes responsibility, but continues to state that she “has always preached moderation.” There was definitely strategic PR and agenda setting during the interview to take any form of blame away from Paula Deen.
One of the first things Paula Deen did during her Today Show interview was put in a plug for the her campaign Diabetes in a New Light, which is a support system for people with type 2 diabetes, and teaches tips to manage the disease in terms of day-to-day endeavors. The Diabetes in a New Light website, where Paula’s face is the focus of the home page, is a way for the chef to focus the attention on how she is doing positive things with the knowledge of her diabetes and away from the hypocrisy many associated with her when hearing about her disease.
The emphasis put on the campaign and her general efforts to raise awareness and support for those with type 2 diabetes is a public relations move and an example of agenda setting because it was so widely covered in traditional mass media.
Sources:
Paula Deen: Diabetes is ‘Not a Death Sentence’ Today Show Interview