QUESTION: When facing media inquiries involving a sticky-wicket situation, is "No comment" an acceptable answer to indelicate questions from reporters?
ANSWER:
PR News asked a trio of well-known industry experts to weigh in on the subject and all three said "No" to "No comment."
"Anytime you decline to comment on a known crisis you'll appear naive at best, incompetent at worst," observes David E. Pendery, senior manager of public relations for
Quiznos, the fast food chain headquartered in Denver. "If a crisis has grown to the point where the media comes calling, it's too late to hide it. Your best line of
defense is to honestly acknowledge the fact that the company is aware of the situation and is taking the necessary steps to rectify it, and then offer to keep the reporter
apprised of the situation. Of course, none of this matters unless your company actually is doing something about it."
Eshe Glover, president of Ag Event Design in Charlotte, NC, echoes Pendery's observation. "A direct question requires a direct response or the spokesperson will sound
evasive," says Glover. "If you are lucky enough to get an inexperienced reporter you might be able to maneuver around the hard answers, but you still run the risk of being
accused of being evasive...even if the dreaded 'No comment' isn't actually uttered. In a crisis situation, it's best to tell it first, fast and honestly."
"The mistakes of others can be great case studies on how to handle challenging situations in everyday business whether you work in the public or private sector," says Eric
Cravey, president of Cravey Communications in Jackson Park, FL. "The challenge in eradicating the 'it can't happen to me' way of thinking has to start at the COO and CEO
level if not mid-level management. The work of every communications practitioner would be so much easier if top-level management truly sees the value of being prepared for the
worst-case scenario, which is a linchpin of any good crisis communications plan."
QUESTION: Everyone knows the Internet is the ultimate breeding ground for the proliferation of rumors, lies, smear campaigns and toxic gossip. Can a PR professional do
anything to stomp out such happenings before they create serious damage?
ANSWER: The opinion among our three PR experts is split. Eric Cravey believes the Net can be
tamed. "Yes there is a way to manage Internet-based crises," he says. "I like to call it circular thinking. If PR practitioners have developed multi-media tactics that will
reach every target audience involved with these challenges when they arise, that organization should be able to manage, if not squelch, the negative comments. Of course, such
tactics require large budgets and should include such tactics as a Web site, community involvement programs, and outdoor, print and broadcast media advertising to get your message
out."
However, Eshe Glover questions whether one can truly eliminate all of the Net-based malevolence. "Because of the uncontrollable nature of the Internet, there isn't a way for a
PR professional to destroy the Net-based inflammation of a crisis," says Glover. "As soon as one flame is extinguished, another will undoubtedly flare. There is the potential to
manage the inflammation of a crisis but it must be done tactically. Which blogs, Web sites and message boards are generally credible? Which are often patronized by those that
support your company? Which are often patronized by those that oppose your company? Once you've identified the avenues, post replies, alert your key audiences to the situation
and provide a response and post messages on your Web site to counter the falsehoods circulating."
David Pendery echoes Glover's opinion. "It's impossible to respond to, or even find, every negative and/or false bit of information on the Internet," he says. "There are just
too many ways for people to distribute unverified information. These days, you have some 80,000 blogs created every day. You have people starting Web sites like
(insertcompanynamehere)sucks.com. Reacting to every falsehood out there just draws attention to them--and away from your company message. I think the best way to combat the
phenomenon is to be sure that your company is communicating consistently across all media channels and that the message you put out is truly reflective of the company."
(To ask a question of the PR Sherpa, pass your inquiry to our editor Phil Hall at [email protected].)