You’ll all be shocked…
Posted by Paul Cox on July 1st, 2009
…to hear that Laura Brown, a PR flack for the FAA, has been caught lying to the media.
Again.
And this time she’s got the nerve to not even bother apologizing for it. In fact, she compounds the first lie by claiming that she never said it.
Billy Mays, a TV infomercial star, died the other day. He had been on a flight that had a hard landing (blew out a tire or two) and reported getting whacked in the head with something when that happened. The speculation was that he had a head injury without knowing it and it might have killed him (more on that later).
In a news story appearing on TMZ.com, an “FAA spokesperson” is quoted…
The FAA is already deflecting blame for the death of Billy Mays — claiming the legendary TV pitchman wasn’t wearing a seat belt when he took a shot to the head during a rough landing on a flight he was on yesterday.
…
We called the FAA for comment, and a spokesperson told us, “The passenger needs to wear a seat belt during landing and he didn’t.”
That was June 28th at 12:58pm.
But a couple hours later, TMZ ran this story, which calls the FAA out:
Laura Brown, the FAA spokesperson who gave TMZ this quote about Billy Mays — “The passenger needs to wear a seat belt during landing and he didn’t” — now says she didn’t say it.
She now tells TMZ, “At this point in time, we cannot have any idea who was or wasn’t wearing their seat belt on the plane.”
(boldface added for emphasis- ed)
Now, on the surface, none of this matters very much. A later story has come forth and it appears that Mays’ death had nothing to do with whatever hit him in the head; he didn’t have any head trauma but did have advanced heart disease, which is probably what killed him.
And the point that people should always wear their seatbelts when on a plane, and particularly when landing, is actually a good point.
But Brown’s statement smacks of blame-the-victim. It’s apparently unverified; a couple hours later Ms Brown was backtracking on whether or not the FAA knew if Mays was wearing his seatbelt. To be fair, a PR flack is only as good as the information that they’re given, and it might very well be that Brown was originally told that Mays hadn’t been wearing his seatbelt. For that, we can forgive (but not forget!) the first lie (the statement “he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt”).
The second lie, though, is pretty unforgiveable. It’s dead-spot-on. The media source properly calls her out for it; first she said one thing, then instead of simply correcting the first statement, she claims that she never made it in the first place.
Sorry, Laura Brown, but you need to know that you just can’t keep lying to the media without it being pointed out. Even those media sources that you might not have as much regard for, like the Follies or TMZ.com, will call you on it.
It’s stuff like this that makes me wonder how on earth the FAA’s leaders can possibly underestimate the agency’s credibility problems. They get caught pulling crap like this OVER AND OVER, and then they wonder why people don’t believe anyone working for the FAA!
Laura Brown has done this to me, too. We emailed at one point and she indicated that she wanted to initiate a discussion. I had done a post talking about parallels between the Columbia shuttle disaster and the FAA and I noticed that she had worked for the review board on that accident.
We got to the point where we were going to talk on the phone and… nothing. No return of my calls, no more emails, no nothing. Now, I can see where she might decide that I’m just an angry blogger in my pajamas (like Jerry Lavey compared some email correspondents to when he used a Chris Matthews quote) and it won’t do any good to talk to me. But if that’s the case, why not say so? Why start the discussion at all?
The FAA’s credibility problems, the FAA’s corporate attitude and atmosphere… these things can be traced back to the people who’re running the agency. The FAA was well on its way down the “Best Places To Work in the Federal Government” list before I started this blog, and whether or not I and the other authors write anything here won’t keep the FAA down there.
What will keep the FAA #214 out of 216 is stuff like what Laura Brown pulled with TMZ. Odds are that they taped their conversation with her- but one wonders what it would take for the FAA’s PR department to put a stop to their PR flacks going out there and lying to the media and to the American people?
Letting that stuff go on (like Jim Peters lecturing air traffic controllers about the safety of the public and suggesting we just quit if we don’t like the FAA) or seeing Jerry Lavey continue in his job as head of internal communications when he’s such a two-faced jerk… that’s the stuff that keeps the FAA at the bottom of the list. Check back here on Thursday for a post detailing what I mean.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:12 pm
While it is important for passengers to wear seatbelts, I'm not clear how this would have helped someone who was hit in the head by a piece of luggage, as has been reported. A helmet might have helped, but I can't remember wearing a helmet on an airplane or even being offered one. Apparently, Ms. Brown does have the 'blame the victim' mentality but maybe she should focus on something the victim did that would have actually made a difference.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Hopefully we have hit “Bottom” and the fix is on the way!
July 1st, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Brown doesn't know where her lies stop and the truth starts. A hapless PR flack, and Blakey leftover who will hopefully play much less of a role under Babbitt.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:13 pm
You have to wonder how easy it is for Ms Brown and company to sit on-high, never getting her hands dirty from the day to day operation, sitting back nice and comfortable in her office and working the phone, just waiting for the next accident or problem. I think how difficult it must be for her, selecting boiler plate responses, with the most challanging part of the job being matching the current situation to the past agency response, which is why we are still #214.
I guess the real work for her and the agency would be, Crafting a real response, for example, We just don't know what happened yet and we are still looking into the situation,
then after gathering all the facts, (that part is key ms brown) telling the truth, the public can take it, and actually is demanding it.
Well, the real situation actually demands that we clean house in the upper ranks of the FAA! Members of both the US House of Representatives and the Senate have called for it. Its time for Mr. Babbitt to start moving the FAA from 214, because when your at the bottom, there is no place else to go but up, its just all about how you go about getting there. Yeah, this is a call to action.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Over at the TMZ site the frst blog about blaming him was alive and well with people following Ms. Brown's lead and blaming Mr. Mays. I saw the first statement as nothing more than protecting "their customer", do anything to deflect the damage away from the airline and blame the passenger instead. There had been no news release of a fellow passenger saying Mr. Mays didn't wear his seatbelt an even Mr. Mays made no mention of it when interviewed by the local news, only saying he was hit in the head by things falling from the ceiling. Her comment started people on the wrong path of blaming Mr. Mays and was irresponsible, she would have been better off saying No comment at this time than pulling something out of her a**.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:31 pm
An excellent point, lowskillset. Let's say that Brown had been right and the guy hadn't been wearing a seat belt. What difference does that make in terms of avoiding something falling onto him from above? None, of course.
So not only did she apparently lie (and lie about lying!) but the lie she told didn't even make any sense or difference!
If you're going to lie about something, you might as well have it make some sense. It's pretty bad when you're not only a liar, but an incompetent one!
July 1st, 2009 at 5:28 pm
They are still trying to tout the "safest system in the world" by quickly stating that this was not an air carrier fatality. The elections "changed" nothing. The same useless bureaucrats are in charge trying to save their collective incompetence behinds.
Hey look at the GA accident rates, they are beginnig to rise. Also take a look at where those airbuses that have gone down get their maintenance done. The same overseas and out of reach of the FAA repair stations that US airlines do.
Look out, it's starting.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:12 pm
You know that your PR department is in bad shape when they're getting shown up by TMZ.com of all places.
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:14 am
1. I am enjoying some of the search results that come up when you plug in "Laura Brown"+"FAA" into Google – Images. Please consider uploading some of your own tagged photos to the web. Let's give Laura the same kind of pictorial legacy we gave to Sturgell.
2. 'Um_', hit on something big. Once the sarcastic LA/NY entertainment media really digs its fangs into FAA management and FAA's squalid in-house flacks like Cruella Brown, then it's Game Over. The Smoking Gun showed some interest last year. Now, TMZ. Huffington and Observer commenters are mocking college drop-out Babbitt for his recent "Off-Broadway" NextGen launch-intention statement – [as if he'd understand the difference between the two forms of theatre!]. Media and entertainment folk fly, more than many in other sectors. Right now these folk are starting to realize, en masse, that they have been putting their lives in the hands of liars and aeromerc courtesans. They're not happy about it.
3. Rest In Peace Mr. Mays.
John J. Tormey III, Esq.
Quiet Rockland
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:04 pm
That kind of public relations savvy doesn't come <a href='http://php.app.com/fed_employees/results.php?name=Laura+Brown&agency_name=FEDERAL+AVIATION+ADMINISTRATION&job_title=%25&statename=%25&countyname=%25&Submit=Search'>cheap</a href>.
Sounds like a complaint. How can this be someone's fault and not mine?
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:04 pm
That kind of public relations savvy doesn't come [a href='http://php.app.com/fed_employees/results.php?name=Laura+Brown&agency_name=FEDERAL+AVIATION+ADMINISTRATION&job_title=%25&statename=%25&countyname=%25&Submit=Search']cheap[/a href].
Sounds like a complaint. How can this be someone's fault and not mine?
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Oooh. Sounds like CNN is pissed:
Thursday, July 2, 2009
"FAA Is A Very Sick Agency Run By College Drop-Out Randy Babbitt"
http://removesturgell.blogspot.com/2009/07/faa-is...
http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/02/faa-whistle...
John J. Tormey III, Esq.
Quiet Rockland
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Here’s Another one…
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/30/ohio.runway.mishaps/index.html
July 3rd, 2009 at 7:11 am
I think it's awesome that TMZ ran an essential "screw you" piece to the FAA, and managed to squeeze it in between stories about Lindsay Lohan doing blow and Patrick Dempsey's 3rd nipple. I love this country.
July 4th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
John,
You included the following quote in your post:
"FAA Is A Very Sick Agency Run By College Drop-Out Randy Babbitt"
Do you attribute that quote to the CNN article or to someone else?
July 4th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
I attribute the quote, to pure fact, actually. Babbitt testified at his confirmation hearing that he dropped out of college, which you can access through the "senate.gov" website. CNN would never have the stones to run text like that. The text corresponds to the "removesturgell" URL and link appearing directly beneath it. The CNN headline is more tame because, after all, airlines advertise in the media. Thankfully, the "removesturgell" blog takes no advertising money from airlines.
John J. Tormey III, Esq.
Quiet Rockland
July 7th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
He's quoting himself. Since you dare question his veracity, he may threaten you with the FBI, court summons, and other lame BS.
July 9th, 2009 at 6:02 am
We all know the FAA lies and covers up what they want watered down for the public to know. Instead of fixing a problem FAA would rather lie and say they do not have a problem. This attitude is from the top of the FAA through the layers of management. The new administration at the top vowed to bring change to the DOT and the FAA. Secretary LaHood on national television, with the new FAA Administrator Babbitt at his side said that it is a new day at the DOT and its a new day at the FAA.
http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/02/faa-whistle...
Its time, the FAA has to change. The corruption and business as usual as caused the deaths of many Americans in the skies needlessly. The recent Colgan Air crash in Buffalo NY is another of a long line of needless loss of life. The investigations brought to light the problems and problems there are. Lives for profit? acceptable death. People will die because you take a chance to fly, drive a car or ride on a train. Yes people will die and the FAA behind closed doors calls this acceptable. Collateral damage.
The sad part is there will be more and more crashes and more and more people will die because FAA will not change. Don't report the problems and "REAL" condition of the skies because it will effect business and profits.
The Senate hearing on the Colgan Air crash will not change anything unless the new FAA management at the top cleans out the rest of the FAA garbage left over by Sabatini and the boys. Gone but not forgotten old Nick is responsible for Manslaughter and the reputation of the FAA. He was allowed to retire under title 49 where if one retires he is not prosecuted. Sabatini Ballough and Stuckey have retired and got away with all the death and destruction they have caused!
http://www.whistleblower.org/doc/2009/FAAAlliance...
Maybe the Senate will say enough is enough!?
July 9th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Just when you thought the worst has been reported. The Washington Examiner blows the whistle on the past FAA management. Sabatini Ballough and sticky Stuckey. Cover-ups, lies even Manslaughter ! payoffs to push one airline over another. We know Nick did not do it for FREE!
The management wisely retired so they could literally get away with murder. Or did they? The accusations have been made the glove has been cast down. They must be held accountable!
Nick will your off shore accounts will be exposed . All the good people you hurt for money! now its pay back time.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/S...