Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The court of public opinion is now in session

by Cheryl Baumgartner Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance

Every so often something happens and it becomes a major issue in the "court of public opinion" This court has no legal power but it does have power. Many a case has been tried in the court of public opinion. There are no legal sanctions imposed but this court can hit a business where it really hurts, the wallet.

All businesses must depend on the goodwill of the public to stay in business. If the public will not do business with them, profits drop, investors pull out and the business is left with two choices; correct the issue that has the public upset or go under.

Many years ago it took time for a business to feel the effects of judgment from the court of public opinion, now the effects can be felt in days. Thanks to strides in telecommunications and the internet, news traverses the globe in moments. Boycotts and demonstrations can be organized and launched in a matter of days as opposed to the months it took before.

Some of the recent cases of the influence of public opinion:

Don Imus-
After making an offensive statement on air during a Rutgers championship game, people who never watch women's college basketball and some who had no idea who Don Imus was went on an internet rampage. As the rumblings grew, advertisers pulled out of sponsor spots leaving CBS no choice but to fire him a week after the incident.

Jena LA-
What started as an ill conceived "Prank" turned into a sweeping commentary on the state of racism in the south. As more information arose this tiny town was placed under the microscope by the global community. The Jena Six as they became known were six black teenagers charged as adults in some cases with major felonies while white teens in the same community committing what could be called similar crimes were not being charged at all. The spark for this international incident was clearly a hate crime, one that remains unsolved. The tiny town found itself under siege by activists, reporters and citizens outraged that something like this could occur in this day and age. In the end the adult charges were thrown out and the cases placed back in the handed of the juvenile court where it belonged.

The current case that needs to be tried in the court of public opinion, can be found here

Public opinion can influence the most powerful corporations when it is a united effort.