David Letterman finally did the right thing and said what needed to be said (albeit a week late), and did so (to all appearances) sincerely.

Regrettably, his mae culpa Monday night was all that needed to be said at the very outset.

It would have been better if he had said it the very next show instead of trying to laugh it away, or poke more fun at the expense of anyone who "didn't get it." Now – although it appears to be a sincere apology – Letterman's apology could also be seen as the result of pressure by CBS or advertisers (or both).

Some additional observations:

• Letterman (or his staff writers) need to realize that "18 not 14" WAS NOT the point; continuing to parse the joke into being funny if it had only specified the 18-year old only digs the hole deeper. Best advice: simply stick to "I'm sorry" and stop trying to explain who the original target was. As Letterman eventually said, it was a poorly conceived joke (whoever wrote it) and a dumb choice (Letterman's alone) to actually use it.


• The lesson to be understood is that most people didn’t think the joke would have been funny even if he had specified it was about the 18-year old daughter. To a lot of people, just because she's 18 didn't make being joked about getting "knocked up" in front of millions on TV (and millions more in subsequent news coverage) any more acceptable, classy, or amusing. SOMEone on Letterman's staff should have recognized this (a woman?) and questioned the "joke."


• This cautionary tale warns all of us to be cognizant of the possible collateral damage that can result from today's divisive political rancor from both sides of the aisle. Perhaps Letterman's joke writers subscribed to the "conventional wisdom" that such statements are uttered only by conservative talk show hosts; it must be a surprising revelation to the comic and the Late Night staff that they are not only just as capable -- but also just as likely -- to say hurtful, derisive, and politically toxic things from time to time. And perhaps that is what truly took the week to figure out.
• Lastly, the Indiana-bred Letterman ignored a simple test that has served him well countless times in that 30 year career he mentioned --what would Mom say?

None of this means we should chill "free speech" -- it just illustrates that we have a responsibility for that speech, and just as often, have to be prepared for the response that speech engenders -- good, bad, and the ugly.

- posted by MediaObserver @ 8:52 AM