Everyone knows that Al Gore said he invented the Internet. It’s been all over the news, repeated again and again, for more than a decade. The only problem is that he never actually said that. The oft-repeated misquote came from an interview in which Gore was talking about his time in Congress, and which things he was most proud of. Among several other things, he said, “During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.” This was in a string of things he talked about strictly in the context of congressional leadership. He was clearly not trying to claim ownership of the invention of the Internet.
Gore could be notoriously disjointed in some of his communications, particularly one-on-one interviews. What he was likely trying to explain is that he was an early adopter of the potential of the Internet, particularly in Congress, and that he supported it vigorously. His record is clear in this respect. But, that is not what he said, and certainly not what people heard.
Gore could have stopped and revisited his comment, or he could have clarified the quote at any point over the next few months, but he chose not to. Instead, the quote was torn out of context and repeated ad nauseam on TV and talk radio until it became “common knowledge.”
So prolific was this “Al invented the Internet” storyline, that several fellow congressman joked about it at the time and, in 2013, Gov. Bobby Jindal referenced it in a speech.
Ronn Torossian says that this is just one example of how perception can be reality in the PR game, and, when something is repeated often enough, the facts can become far less relevant than public perception. The goal, is to be clear in all of your messaging. Particularly in an age when any gaffe can be given eternal life online.
Ronn Torossian is one of America’s most prolific and respected public relations experts. Torossian is the founder, president and CEO of 5W Public Relations, one of the 25 largest independent American PR firms, headquartered in New York with an office in Los Angeles.
