What's the surest sign that the presidential election is over? Only one politician made this month’s media disasters list.

On this month’s list, you’ll find a disgruntled actor, two cable news hosts, and a new corporate leader who doesn’t seem to like television interviews.

Here are the five worst media disasters of November:

5. 'Half' man finds God, continues to take “filthy” money

Angus T. Jones, the “half” man on CBS’s hit sitcom "Two and a Half Men," recently made headlines when he called his show “filth” and begged viewers to stop watching the show. No matter that he’s been on the show since 2003 and became the highest paid child actor in 2010, reportedly earning a whopping $300,000 per episode.



I don’t question the sincerity of Jones’s beliefs, and he’s entitled to his views. Which is why his sudden about face looks so … strange. After the video above went viral, Jones backtracked, saying:

“I am grateful to, and have the highest regard and respect for, all of the wonderful people on ‘Two and a Half Men’ with whom I have worked and over the past 10 years who have become an extension of my family …. I thank them for the opportunity they have given and continue to give me, and the help and guidance I have and expect to continue to receive from them.”

As The Washington Post put it:

“To recap:

“1) Show is filth.

“2) No disrespect intended.” 

4. New BBC head walks off live interview

The BBC is in the midst of one of its worst scandals ever.

Its handling of a sexual abuse scandal has already caused one BBC director-general to resign. And his replacement, acting director-general Tim Davie, didn’t make things any easier on himself when he decided to walk out of a live interview.

The most surprising thing? These questions should have been easy to anticipate prior to the interview.




 3. Mitt Romney goes 47 percent—again.

Mitt Romney was caught on a secret video some months ago saying that 47 percent of Americans would never vote for him because, “I’ll never convince them they should take responsibility for their lives.” He apologized for the statement, saying he cared about all Americans.

After losing the election, however, he returned to the same theme, telling a group of fundraisers that President Obama won because he had given lavish financial gifts to wide swaths of Americans. That comment prompted many of Romney’s fellow Republicans to tell him to exit the stage, immediately.





2. Fox News host says food stamps are a good diet plan.

Andrea Tantaros, a co-host of “The Five” on the Fox News Channel, made headlines recently when she said she would benefit by going on food stamps since it would help her diet.

Beyond being an insensitive thing to say, it’s also wrong. As anyone who’s examined America’s food system for two minutes already knows, it is much more expensive to eat healthfully (and to have access to healthier foods). As nutritionists have been pointing out for years, it’s cheaper to buy a bag of chips than a head of broccoli.

Tantaros can make up for her comment by voluntarily going on food stamps for a month and eating nothing but what she can afford on them. I doubt she’d be so brazen at the end of the month.

 


 1. Chris Matthews “glad” that Hurricane Sandy happened.

Chris Matthews, the loudmouth host of MSNBC’s "Hardball," got into trouble late on election night for committing a classic “seven-second stray.”

While speaking about President Obama’s victory, Matthews pointed out that Hurricane Sandy may have helped his re-election effort. But the manner in which he made that point was terribly insensitive.

It’s never a good idea to put politics over people. In this video clip, Matthews seemed to suggest that the ends justified the means.



To his credit, Matthews issued a direct and unsparing apology the next day.

To see two bonus gaffes, visit the Mr. Media Relations Training blog.

Brad Phillips is the author of the forthcoming book The Media Training Bible: 101 Things You Absolutely, Positively Need to Know Before Your Next Interview. He tweets @MrMediaTraining.