‘Sloppy, empirically unsound and potentially offensive’.
These are not our words. They are instead just one example of how people have responded to a metaphor a spokesperson used in a media interview this week.
Ben Broadbent, the deputy governor of the Bank of England, issued an apology on Wednesday after he used the term ‘menopausal’, during an interview with The Telegraph, to describe the UK economy.
Mr Broadbent used the comment when comparing the current slowdown to the lull at the end of the 19th Century, between the ages of steam and electricity.
He said economists used the term ‘climacteric’ to describe that period, and added that while it could apply to both genders, it essentially means ‘menopausal’ and is used for economies that are ‘past their peak no longer so potent’ .
That choice of language triggered quite a backlash.
It was ITV’s political editor Robert Peston who described it as ‘sloppy, empirically unsound and potentially offensive’, but he was far from alone.
Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson described it as ‘highly offensive’; Claire Phipps, the Guardian’s digital editor said it was ‘grossly sexist’; Richard Fletcher, business editor of The Times said the comment revealed ‘how little culture change’ had been delivered by Bank of England CEO Mark Carney; and former Bank of England policymaker Kate Barker tweeted that she had found the words ‘pretty offensive’.
Sloppy, empirically unsound and potentially offensive use of language by Bank of England deputy governor. There is no reason to think menopausal people are less productive or past their peak in any sense other than the bleedin’ obvious one https://t.co/g7pplOyNHi
— Robert Peston (@Peston) May 15, 2018
Highly offensive! Menopausal women are not “unproductive”.
— Allison Pearson (@allisonpearson) May 15, 2018
And rightly so. Grossly sexist. “Ben Broadbent, the deputy governor of the Bank of England, is facing heavy criticism this morning after declaring that the UK economy is entering a “menopausal” era” https://t.co/NLbt501FBa
— Claire Phipps (@Claire_Phipps) May 16, 2018
As reported I found them pretty offensive https://t.co/Z7tRmNf7KX
— Kate Barker (@Barker4Kate) May 16, 2018
For all the talk of change at the Bank of England these comments by deputy governor Ben Broadbent about a "menopausal economy" reveal how little culture change Mark Carney has actually delivered ... https://t.co/5X72adFwXy pic.twitter.com/1TjCtL0psR
— Richard Fletcher (@fletcherr) May 16, 2018
Away from Twitter, Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, said the language used by Mr Broadbent had been ‘totally inappropriate’ and added “There’s no need to resort to lazy, sexist comments to describe problems in the economy.”
Whatever the intentions of Mr Broadbent’s comment, his choice of metaphor certainly took any coverage away from the messages he intended or hoped to get across.
Newspapers and websites either focused entirely on the menopausal comment, the subsequent apology, or whether he should have had to say sorry at all for what some regard as a 'confected row'.
Economy is menopausal, says Bank Broadbent The Times
Deputy Bank governor apologises for ‘menopausal economy’ comment The Guardian
Bank of England deputy apologises for ‘offence caused’ by describing economy as menopausal The Telegraph
BoE’s Broadbent points to ‘menopausal’ UK economy ‘past its peak’ Financial Times
Clumsy, yes. But did Bank boss HAVE to apologise for calling economy 'menopausal'? Daily Mail
The comment, and subsequent coverage, comes at a bad time for the Bank of England as it tries to promote a more inclusive culture. Last year Mr Carney said it needed to ‘reflect the diversity of the people it serves’ and more recently, Joanna Place, its chief operating officer said it was “striving for an inclusive culture that will help every person to reach their potential… And gender balance is a significant component of that.”
So what can we learn from this interview gaffe and the subsequent fallout?
Apology
To his credit, Mr Broadbent was pretty quick to issue an apology once the backlash began.
But it felt rather grudging and more of an explanation - perhaps suggesting that he too couldn't really understand why his comments had caused such offence.
He said: “I'm sorry for my poor choice of language in an interview with the Telegraph yesterday and regret the offence caused. I was explaining the meaning of the word 'climacteric', a term used by economic historians to describe a period of low productivity growth during the 19th century. Economic productivity is something which affects every one of us, of all ages and genders.”
To be effective, apologies need to appear genuine and heartfelt, but that was lacking here.
Complacent
We often find on our media training courses that participants worry about television and radio interviews, but feel more relaxed during print interviews.
While having a relaxed attitude to media interviews can be beneficial, there is a risk spokespeople can become complacent, particularly during face-to-face interviews where they may have built a rapport with the journalist.
The key is to avoid being lulled into a false sense of security and to ensure you place the emphasis of the interview on the messages you want to get across.
Long rambling answers, like the one Mr Broadbent appears to have given, which take you away from those messages should be avoided.
Preparation
We know we talk about interview preparation a lot in this media training blog, but it is absolutely vital. And part of that preparation should include looking at the language you intend to use.
As well as thinking about the examples and stats you plan to produce, also think about any metaphors or analogies you intend to use and think about whether they are really suitable.
Interviews which appear heavily scripted are in no-one’s interests, but taking care over language could help spokespeople avoid the massive own goal Mr Broadbent made this week.
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