While you might think the club world is insulated from the search for “stories” that can prime the pump of sensationalism, it’s not hard to find examples that show we’re not immune to the fake news cycle.
Creating a frenzy with “stories” that aren’t stories isn’t just an outgrowth of social-media and gossip-news overload, as Orson Welles showed 80 years ago with his “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast about a Martian invasion that caused panic in the streets.
But certainly, as things like the Jussie Smollett “attack” and the Go Fund Me scam involving the homeless man and the New Jersey couple have shown, things can now spin out of control much more quickly and more wildly amid all the cutthroat competition for clicks and viewership that now exists.
And while you might think the club world is insulated from the search for “stories” that can prime the pump of sensationalism, no matter how little semblance of truth they might have, it’s not hard to find examples like the one we posted recently (and that registered high on our own click-meter) that show we’re not immune to the fake news cycle, either.
This one involved CBS’ “Inside Edition” show getting wind of the fact that a Philadelphia strip club was going to hold its annual golf outing at a New Jersey club, and allegedly deciding to have reporters go undercover to register as golfers and then, while posing as participants, try to dig up dirt about the sponsor and the event that it could use for a broadcast.
A lawsuit has now been filed against the show by the son of a man who was one of the event’s organizers and who suffered a heart attack after confronting the participants about their intentions and alleged harassment of other participants.
The golf club where the event was held was also named in the lawsuit, which accused the club of negligence and for not taking proper security measures when the scene became confrontational.
Yes, this was a public course, but we have seen and heard other examples of news outlets eagerly jumping in to investigate reports of fraternity-like behavior and other incidents that have occurred at private clubs, too.
And while this particular lawsuit may not go anywhere, it’s not something any club of any type needs or wants to be associated with.
The lesson, unfortunately, is that in today’s world of instant “reporting” and posting, club management staffs need to be more diligent than ever about understanding what is happening, and anticipating what could happen, on their properties—and to make sure everyone is properly trained on proper measures of response and control at the first sign of any potential issues that could lead to the wrong “story” getting out beyond the gates, even if it’s not really a story at all.
Joe Barks, Editor
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