As a seasoned public relations practitioner, I adhere to the
rule not to lie. However, this is
different than being obligated to tell the truth.
Former President Clinton White House spokesman Mike McCurry once described his
job as “telling the truth slowly” and I suppose that aptly describes what I do.
Obviously, I have an obligation to my client – and
disclosing the unvarnished truth is rarely the first consideration in a crisis.
The obligation to the media and public is simply that you never say anything
knowingly false. However, there is no obligation to do the job of the media for
them by proactively exposing the truth.
That said, I often counsel my clients that the best strategy
is to reveal the whole truth sooner rather than later when the facts are
embarrassing or incriminating.
Postponing the inevitable rarely works as a viable option.
What do you think?
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