Alec Baldwin’s PR Nightmare
On April 11, 2007, Alec Baldwin left a disturbing phone message
for his 11-year-old daughter. He and his daughter, Ireland, have standing phone calls as a result of his divorce with Kim Basinger in 2002. Baldwin was upset because she hadn’t been answering the calls, and he blamed Basinger. He referred to Ireland disparagingly, saying she had “insulted him for the last time.”
The story broke on TMZ.com, a celebrity news site that refused to disclose how they received the message. Since the story was leaked, Baldwin has publicly apologized via his own Web site saying “I’m sorry, as everyone who knows me is aware, for losing my temper with my child. I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation for many years now.” Alec Baldwin’s tirade was not received well by the media and the general public. According to PEOPLE even his loyal fan base criticized him. The incident occurred during the custody battle for Ireland between Basinger and Baldwin. According to The New York Post the judge presiding over the case suspended all of Baldwin’s visitation rights once the tape was heard. In an article in The New York Times, Baldwin tries to make himself look more favorable by claiming that his outburst was due to years of being kept away from his daughter and the frustration that that had brought on. TMZ.com updated their site over the coming weeks to say that it was a possibility that come May 4th, judge Maren Nelson would not allow Baldwin to see his daughter at all. In an article from ABC news, Baldwin insinuates that the message was leaked to TMZ.com by his ex-wife herself. He states that “In such public cases, your opponents attempt to take a picture of you on your worst day and insist that this is who you are as a person.”The further accusations of Basinger as the leaker of the tape wasn’t received well by the media.
It seems that the sentiment is very similar amongst the bloggers. Dlisted, a celebrity blog, posted a blog titled “Alec Baldwin is father of the year.” It seems that the general consensus is mostly that his actions were wrong, but that it really is a private matter and should be left out of the public. The Superficial, another celebrity blog, calls Baldwin’s statement on his website “less of an apology and more of an self-justification.” According to Glitterati Gossip, Baldwin contacted Dr. Phil McGraw after having heard him speak on the issue on the Larry King Live show. McGraw states that he had a long conversation with Baldwin who realized the “inappropriate nature of the comments made to his daughter.” Lastly, Starpulse Entertainment News Blog took a very neutral stance on the controversy, stating only the facts.
The Mainstream media coverage and the coverage by the blog community seem very similar. They include a range of feelings on whether or not Baldwin’s outburst was acceptable or not. Despite their similarities, the mainstream media tends to be a little bit more accusatory of Baldwin and the incident, while the blog community has taken a more forgiving approach.
In my personal opinion, what happens between a father and a child should stay private. I find it hard to believe that any father can say that they have never been angry with their child. I do think that it is plausible that this was a ploy by Basinger and her lawyer to portray Baldwin as something he is not. In cases such as these, anything will be done to win, and I hope everyone realizes that.
Sources:
Mainstream Media: The New York Times; The New York Post; TMZ.com; PEOPLE; ABC News; The Washington Post
Blog: Dlisted; Glitterati Gossip; The Superficial; Starpulse Entertainment News Blog
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