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Forum Addresses Crisis Communication during Political Scandals

Three nationally prominent communication professionals and a South Carolina journalist will lead a student forum at the College of Charleston on crisis communication during political scandals.

The forum will consider the communication challenges posed by political scandals involving both Democrats and Republicans, paying particular attention to recent news involving South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. Controversy surrounding 2nd District Rep. Joe Wilson is a likely topic of discussion as well.

The forum will take place on Thursday, Sept. 24, from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. at Physicians Memorial Auditorium on the College of Charleston campus.

With sponsorship from the College’s Department of Communication and the Department of Communication Advisory Council, the forum will feature four panelists:

• Gina Smith, a graduate of the College of Charleston and Columbia University, is a reporter at The State newspaper in Columbia. Her nine-year reporting career includes her very direct role in revealing Gov. Mark Sanford’s affair in June 2009.


• Tucker Eskew, the moderator for this forum, is former press secretary to South Carolina Governor Carroll Campbell. Eskew worked in the Bush-Cheney and McCain-Palin campaigns. He has served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Global Communications. Eskew is a founding partner of ViaNovo, an international management and communication consulting firm.


• Mike McCurry is former White House press secretary to President Bill Clinton. With almost three decades of experience in Washington, DC, he is principal at Public Strategies Washington, Inc., where he provides strategic communication counsel to a variety of corporate and non-profit clients.


• Phil Noble is president of the South Carolina New Democrats and founder of Phil Noble and Associates. Noble also is founder of the Palmetto Project. He is a former International Political Consultant of the Year and has long been a leader in political uses of new media.

Following brief presentations by the panelists, the forum will conclude with a question-and-answer session open to all members of the audience.

”We are delighted to have this distinguished group of panelists addressing a very timely and important topic,” said Brian McGee, chair of the Department of Communication. “What makes for a political scandal? What should be considered scandalous, but isn’t? We all look forward to learning from these talented professionals.”
The event is free and open to the public.

For more information on this event and the Department of Communication Advisory Council, visit www.cofc.edu/communication.

With one of the largest undergraduate majors at the College of Charleston, the Department of Communication enrolls more than 800 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. Students in the department study such topics as political communication, interpersonal communication, journalism, and public relations. The department is housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The Department of Communication Advisory Council promotes the recognition and progress of communication instruction at the College of Charleston. The Advisory Council is made up of an outstanding and nationally prominent group of communication professionals who aid the Department of Communication in developing curricula, creating and improving departmental programs, and calling attention to the many accomplishments of the department's students and faculty.

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The Department of Communication is housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
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