The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

The New Orleans Five and the ADA's Worst Week


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Five scientists were escorted out of a diabetes conference by police for handing out a scientific paper — published in the host's own journal. By the time the American Diabetes Association finished explaining itself, its president and president-elect had resigned, and the editorial those five hoped 200 people might read had 76,000 views.

Everyone is covering the removal. Molly is covering the two statements that came after it — the apology that blamed the people it was apologizing to, the peace-offering email that arrived days after an arrest threat, and the moment the ADA's response became a bigger story than the thing it was responding to.

Chapters:

0:00 — The PR Breakdown Live: New Format, One Deep-Dive Crisis
1:43 — Why the American Diabetes Association Story Is Personal: Type 1 Diabetes and a Donor's Stake
3:03 — The One-Sentence Version: ADA Removes Five of Its Own Scientists
6:07 — ADA Scientific Sessions in New Orleans and the NIH Keynote Spark
8:56 — Keynote Canceled for a Trump Meeting: Members Mobilize
12:06 — Friday June 5: The Diabetes Care Editorial Handout
12:57 — Police Remove the New Orleans Five: Why Optics Always Win
14:25 — The Scott Pelley CBS Parallel: Making It About Policy and Procedure
19:31 — The ADA's First Statement: Policy Defense and a Blaming Apology
29:18 — Own It, Explain It, Promise It: The Indestructible PR Framework
31:07 — The Badge Offer Backfires: An Olive Branch on Fire
36:14 — Running the Crisis Playbook Backwards
41:33 — Two Crisis Traps: Protecting the Institution and Playing the Victim
43:45 — The Media Data: 24 to 86 Articles and 60% Negative Sentiment
46:27 — The Resignations: ADA President and President-Elect Step Down
50:41 — How the ADA Recovers: The Courageous Leadership Playbook

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