Addressing Negative Tension

Over the past few weeks there have been a couple of high profile disciplinary actions within the national media. At National Public Radio, one of its commentators, Juan Williams, was fired as a result of what management interpreted as inappropriate remarks he made on a Fox network talk show regarding his initial reaction to seeing Muslims on airplanes. Most recently, MSNBC suspended indefinitely one of its top news commentators, Keith Olbermann, when it was learned he donated money to several Democrat candidates without first informing his organizational superiors. Both actions seemed to come out of nowhere and generated much media attention. As I write this, they still are.

Based on their public explanations, I understand why management at NPR and MSNBC did what it did. At the same time, I think their actions were an overreaction to the so-called infractions and a mistake. As a result, both of these highly regarded and highly respectable organizations came off with egg on their respected faces. But the more I read about these two situations the more I am inclined to believe there is more to each management's actions than meets the eye. In the case of Williams, for instance, supposedly his bosses at NPR had been unhappy for a while regarding Williams' affiliation with the Fox network. Williams was a regular contributor to and guest on several of Fox's news talk programs. My sense is Williams' comments about how seeing Muslims on airplanes on which he, too, is a passenger makes him uncomfortable was the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." In the case of Olbermann, reports indicate he and his superiors had been butting heads for a good while. Apparently, his infraction was the excuse they were looking forward to give him a giant slap on the wrist.

In the two cases, the tension between Williams and Olbermann and their bosses had been building for awhile. My guess is both men knew this and probably sensed it was just a matter of time before something were to happen and those negative feelings erupted into some type of public and ugly mess. One lesson to be learned from these incidents is bubbling tension should not be ignored. Instead it should be addressed ideally in a respectable and upfront way. Whether it pertains to office co-workers, neighbors, a boss and an employee, or even a husband and wife, it is vital that negative ill-feelings not be allowed to fester. They only get worse and build. Granted, addressing them is not easy and takes good communication skills. But these skills are not beyond the reach of any of us. Basically, they involve honest sharing and open listening. I understand having a conversation of this nature is not the easiest thing for any of us to do. Butif such a step is not taken or at least attempted, then the eventual consequences are never good.