It’s always great to see politicians taking on the new world of media and becoming proactive on social media. Francois Legault, leader of the recently formed CAQ (Coalition Avenir Québec, translated: “Coalition for the Future of Quebec”) in Quebec, Canada, is one such politician. Incidentally, with his new found hobby and lack of experience, he found himself in a Twitter firestorm last week, when he tweeted that “girls attach less importance to pay than boys”.
This Tweet was founded by a recent study by the OECD on gender equality, but Legault forgot to back his Tweet up with a link to the study, inevitably coming across to many as sexist.
Well, you can imagine the Twitter-storm that broke out due to this simple lack of a reference!
Legault was quick to address the attack by clearly stating that “Some people think that I am sexist. Those who know me, know very well that I am not”, and supported his offending tweet with the study by OECD.
A lesson in the making
Legault’s Twitter initiatives, once seen as a positive interaction with his supporters is now being questioned: Will his lack of experience damage his and the CAQ’s chances at an election? I think not. Although he’s inexperienced and managing his account himself, he’s proving to be real and responding to less than complimentary comments and accusations with tact, facts and a refusal to waver. Good for him!
If he takes this recent situation and learns a valuable lesson from it – A tweet is short, needs to be supported with a link to facts (when appropriate) and is not retractable – he should do just fine in his continued attempt to connect with the Quebec people and grow his party favourably.
In fact, such a lesson is valuable to us all!
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted keynote speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa and her work here.
Did you see today's? the solution: stop saying sexist crap. #qc2012 http://blogues.radio-canada.ca/surleweb/2012/07/1… … … and by the way – he blocks people asking questions he doesn't want to answer … perfectly legitmate questions respectfully asked … and his candidates do not take questions or comments at all … great example of representative democracy … NOT