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Saying Sorry About <i>Survivor</i>

Whether it's crisis management or politics, the experts will tell you that when you make a mistake, the best strategy to win back public opinion is to admit it, apologize, and move on.

Like United Airlines, for example, which is buying TV commercials to apologize for bad service. They're not giving customers discounts or refunds on anything that costs them, but the head man's apology does seem sincere.

As did Attorney General Janet Reno when she took responsibility for the FBI raid that went wrong in Waco. She didn't resign or penalize herself in any way, but when she said it was her fault, she actually went up in the popularity polls.

So I am compelled to make a full confession of my own: the CBS super-hit Survivor has come and gone - and I never saw it.

I'm not one of those snobs who claims never to watch TV except for the occasional nature special on PBS. I actually enjoy television and kept meaning to watch Survivor, but never did.

Nor did it occur to me that many people would want to watch a group of scheming, unattractive people rooting around in the dirt on some island.

Even that guy who won - the one who kept trying to show us his business - didn't seem to be a person anyone would want to know. Which just shows what I know.

So I admit I was wrong. All my fault, but I'm on board now and ready to learn from my mistake. Since this was a big hit, I'm putting in for a raise ... for being candid.

Maybe I won't get it, but I'm certain those Survivor people would tell me to go for it.

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