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April 13, 2007

My Reputation

Stories of people trying to recover from damage to their reputations—sometimes caused by others, sometimes self-inflicted.

Prologue

Robyn Forest thought she'd gotten her big break when a magazine assigned her to write about a famous Japanese pop singer. Instead, Robyn ended up on Japanese television denying that she and the singer were having an affair. Host Ira Glass talks with Robyn about how she accidentally ruined her own reputation. (10 minutes)
Act One

Not Everybody Loves Raymond

This American Life producer Sarah Koenig tells a story of the rise and fall of a politician's reputation. Raymond Buckley, a Democratic operative from New Hampshire, was instrumental in his party's success in last fall's midterm elections. He set his sights on becoming the chair of the state Democratic Party. But three months before the election for party chair, one of Buckley's political rivals accused him of one of the worst things that anyone can be accused of. It threatened to destroy not only his career, but his life. Unlike most politicians at the center of a scandal, Buckley was willing to talk about what he went through and how it changed him. (35 minutes)

Song:

“Bad Reputation” by Piano Strings Soundtrack: Tribute to Shrek
Act Two

The Hole Truth

It's one thing to wonder what other people really think of you. It's quite another to go out and ask them. Writer Gabriel Delahaye asked his closest friends—on tape—what they really think of him, and the answers surprised him. The story of one man's brave quest to face up to his reputation. (10 minutes)