Crisis Guru

In his Crisis Guru Commentaries, Jim Lukaszewski provides real answers to real questions about your most critical communications problems and issues.

To submit a question, please direct it by e-mail to crisisguru@e911.com. Be sure to include your full name, affiliation, address, and telephone number. All published questions will be identified by title and industry only. Your confidentiality will be protected.

Question:

Dear Crisis Guru:

During a crisis, what steps can a company take to prevent false information from being leaked to the public and/or media?

Thank you.

Business Advice Column Editor

Answer:

Dear Editor:

Here’s my approach:

Preventing leaks at any time is very problematic. It is an act generally carried alone with an alliance of confidentiality between the recipient and the leaker. Often, the leaker’s identity, if discovered, can be very surprising. There are some patterns to help preempt leaks and identify leakers.

Specifically prohibit internal and outside attorneys from talking with the media without the client’s specific permission. This includes non-verbal cuing, hand signals, and non responding as a method of indicating agreement or disagreement, or using surrogates to accomplish the same result.
Senior executives need to follow the similar rules and be required to disclose media contact, even if the reporter asks for secrecy. Senior executives (often the CEO) are the second greatest source of leaks.
People in the know are those who have something to leak. They do it as an act of conscience, for personal gain or revenge, to float ideas, to change outcomes, a feeling of personal power and special, though secret, self-recognition. Look up rather than down for perpetrators and culpability.
Leaks are sometimes coerced from people by aggressive reporters who threaten exposure, humiliation, or personal embarrassment if there is non cooperation.

The hardest leak to detect is when the report just makes it up . . . which happens in about 25 percent of all anonymous source situations.

Cordially,

Jim Lukaszewski




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CRISIS GURU #12 Real Time Answers to Real Time Questions In his Crisis Guru Commentaries, Jim Lukaszewski provides real answers to real questions about your most critical communications problems and issues. To submit a question, please direct it by e-mail to crisisguru@e911.com. Be sure to include your full name, affiliation, address, and telephone number. All published questions will be identified by title and industry only. Your confidentiality will be protected. TODAY’S TOPIC: PREVENTING FALSE INFORMATION FROM BEING LEAKED Question: Dear Crisis Guru: During a crisis, what steps can a company take to prevent false information from being leaked to the public and/or media? Thank you. Business Advice Column Editor Answer: Dear Editor: Here’s my approach: Preventing leaks at any time is very problematic. It is an act generally carried alone with an alliance of confidentiality between the recipient and the leaker. Often, the leaker’s identity, if discovered, can be very surprising. There are some patterns to help preempt leaks and identify leakers. Specifically prohibit internal and outside attorneys from talking with the media without the client’s specific permission. This includes non-verbal cuing, hand signals, and non responding as a method of indicating agreement or disagreement, or using surrogates to accomplish the same result. Senior executives need to follow the similar rules and be required to disclose media contact, even if the reporter asks for secrecy. Senior executives (often the CEO) are the second greatest source of leaks. People in the know are those who have something to leak. They do it as an act of conscience, for personal gain or revenge, to float ideas, to change outcomes, a feeling of personal power and special, though secret, self-recognition. Look up rather than down for perpetrators and culpability. Leaks are sometimes coerced from people by aggressive reporters who threaten exposure, humiliation, or personal embarrassment if there is non cooperation. The hardest leak to detect is when the report just makes it up . . . which happens in about 25 percent of all anonymous source situations. Cordially, Jim Lukaszewski
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