ASSIGNMENT – Chapter 4 A $48 Million Misunderstanding

A $48 MILLION MISUNDERSTANDING

Jockey Joe Santos filed a libel suit against the Miami Herald, seeking $48 million in damages over a report’s misunderstanding of his accented English. The Herald published a photograph showing Santos apparently holding an object in his hand as he rode Thoroughbred Funny Cide across the finish line on the 2003 Kentucky Derby. In the accompanying story, reporter Frank Carlson misquoted the jockey as stating the object was an illegal “cue ring.” The item turned out to be a Q-Ray, an ionized bracelet the jockey wore to help with his arthritis. As a result of the story, the Kentucky Racing Commission launched an investigation into what one official called “very suspicious” behavior.

The newspaper later printed a correction, but Santos maintained the story caused him emotional distress. The horse’s owners were co-parties to the lawsuit, claiming the article’s allegation of underhanded racing tactics cost them potential business.

Santos’s attorney said that the misunderstanding would never have happened if the Herald had chosen a Spanish-speaking reporter. In the same vein, the editor of Miami’s alternative paper, New Times, commented: “Let me get this straight: In Miami, the most Hispanic city in the country, the newspaper of record screwed up because someone misunderstood a Spanish speaker?”

What issues of management communications are raised by this incident? Please discuss.

ASSIGNMENT – Chapter 4 A $48 Million Misunderstanding Answer 

The libel issue between Mr. Santos and the Miami Herald was caused by miscommunication and language barrier. First, the writer directly interpreted the spoken words as a direct message when in fact the jockey is using a jargon or words that does not mean directly. The term illegal “cue ring was meant by the jockey to the bracelet he is wearing for his arthritis.