Crisis PR and Ethics - by Patty

During a crisis, a struggle often develops between the client’s lawyers and PR people. I’ve heard lawyers say, “Clients are like fish. Neither would get into trouble if they kept their mouths shut.” In contrast, my philosophy is for the client to tell the truth, tell it all and tell it fast.

The real problem lies in the fact that both lawyers and PR people want the same end result -- they want what’s best for the client -- but each goes about achieving this end in different ways. I believe my way is best. I’ve seen countless instances where if you don’t talk and don’t let the press in, a media feeding frenzy ensues, and the situation gets so out of control you can’t stop the momentum.

When the truth eventually comes out maybe six months to a year or two down the road, it’s no longer considered “news.” If you can get the media to even comment, you’ll be lucky to find a column of two inches buried on page 26 D. By that time, salvaging a client’s damaged reputation is a task of Sisyphus proportions.

At other times, when the truth eventually comes out a year or two later, after the lawyers have had their heyday, reputations can be saved and public opinion reversed (think Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of rape).

For a lawyer, it may be unethical in a legal sense to do what is really the right thing in a given situation. Everybody is entitled to a defense, and lawyers make their living defending or prosecuting people, whether they’re guilty or innocent. But often a lawyer’s conduct, while technically “ethical,” is actually intended to circumvent rules which require notice or discovery. This prevents the public from knowing the real truth.

As a PR professional, I’m not required to adhere to these rules. Yet even when I know the real situation, I have at times been prevented from talking openly with the media about it because of my client’s lawyers. I think the public should know the real story behind any crisis. I don’t believe in cover-ups.

People make mistakes. Sometimes it’s a mistake of omission or of judgment. If I believe in the client’s innocence, I’ll do everything in my power to help. I’ve been contacted by individuals in the past who wanted representation for crisis PR, when all they really want to do is cover up, not to make things right. I’m not interested in taking on this kind of client. After all, I have a reputation to maintain, too — and the media people who know me know that I don’t lie.
Recently I was asked, “How do you determine what is ethical?”

My answer: “Live your life so that whatever you do, you won’t be embarrassed to see it on the front page of the newspapers.”