In 2013, John Diamond, the chief media relations officer for the University of Arkansas, testified under oath about a multimillion-dollar scandal involving the university's fundraising division. His testimony revealed top leaders' attempts to cover up their own culpability in the scandal, including the university chancellor's angry directive to "get rid of" a troublesome budget document of interest to reporters and investigators. It was a PR nightmare for the nationally prominent university-and a sobering example of what can happen when institutions and their leaders abandon public accountability.

In writing Please Delete, author John Diamond says he relied on thousands of pages of email, transcripts, financial records, and first-hand accounts "to complete a puzzle that investigative reporters, state auditors, and prosecutors couldn't-or wouldn't-finish." 

John Diamond spent 22 years as a senior communications leader for universities in Maine, Arkansas, and Wisconsin. A former journalism professor at the University of Maine, Diamond was a panelist on MediaWatch, a weekly television program on Maine PBS that critiqued news coverage of current events. He also co-produced Inside Augusta, a documentary series on the inner workings of state government for which he won a national journalism award. Before moving into higher education, Diamond served eight years in the Maine Legislature, including four years as House Majority Leader.