By Kelsey Gallagher
In January of 2012, Paula Deen, the “Buttah Queen” of the South, known for her recipes that call for considerable amounts of butter and heavy cream, attempts to justify her decision to wait three years to reveal her diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and recent partnership with diabetes drug developer, Novo Nordisk; rather than give the public a genuine apology.
Donna Shaft, a battling type 2 diabetic for 20 years, calls Deen a hypocrite,
“We of course don’t know the terms of her contract with the drug company, but it seems either stupid or hypocritical of them to be endorsing the eating lifestyle she advocates. For her to publicly facilitate the illusion that a T2 can consume the quantities of fats and carbs and sugars she showcases, even occasionally, is nothing short of a dangerous abuse of the trust many in her audience place in her as an influential public figure.”
Deen continues to justify her actions by stating that she was unable to present advice to the public when she was initially diagnosed, but feels as though she is currently making a contribution.
Food Network’s spokeswoman, Ambre Morley, said the company was unaware of Deen’s diagnosis when it first contacted her about promoting new healthy alternatives to her show.
Situational theory recognizes that not all stakeholders communicate properly within an organization. The idea is to identify publics and whether they are active or passive in order to know which groups need more attention and how to specifically target certain messages.
There was a lack of communication between Deen, the Food Network, and other sponsors such as Kmart, JcPenney, Walgreens, and Sears; Deen failed to inform the public and the Food Network of her condition when she was first diagnosed and continued to promote her infamous southern dishes; the public (especially the diabetic community) does not accept Deen’s justification for withholding her health conditions and argues against her; the diabetic community is upset and calls Deen a hypocrite for proceeding to promote her unhealthy dishes while also partnering with diabetes drug developer, Novo Nordisk.
In this example, I would argue that Deen failed to satisfy the public when she withheld her diagnosis of type 2 diabetes from the public and the Food Network. She undoubtedly did not anticipate the backlash from the diabetic community when she contradicted herself by collaborating with Nova Nordisk to make a profit. As a public figure, Deen should have used this opportunity to become an advocate for diabetes with no expected profits and shine light on the disease by promoting healthy living alternatives for battling diabetics.