"Spin" is unacceptable; facts are your friends

PR practitioners were once called "spin doctors." You don't hear that term so much any more, because it's obsolete and unacceptable and ineffective.

In corporate or nonprofit communications, facts and integrity are your friends. You cannot wordsmith your way out of a situation. You never could, really -- "spin" never worked well. But PR firms sold themselves as word wizards who could spin a pile of dung into gold.

Dung is dung. Just call it that. Your reputation and integrity are "gold."

So don't try to bury the lead, use euphemisms, obfuscate, dodge, or spin the issues. It will harm your reputation permanently. Your brand is at stake, and it must be protected with integrity in all communications. In the digital age, there are a million "watchdogs" who will shred you if you do not convey factual information at all times.

There are a few tactical things you can do to convey the truth but mitigate the spread of the information. The White House often releases unfavorable news around 6:30 p.m. on a Friday, when many journalists have left for the weekend, the nightly news is already on the air, and the Sunday talk shows have already been booked.

On a local level this works, too. If your information is not time-sensitive, you can hold it until a major local or national story breaks and release it then, when reporters are focused on the big breaking story.

I see nothing disingenuous in time your announcements tactically. That is not spin. That simply puts the task on the media to be able to focus on more than one thing at a time; they should be equipped to handle that -- it's their job.

Spin is dead.


Steve Cebalt, Problem Solver,
Highview Public Relations
www.highviewhelp.com
"Reputation and Crisis Management"
(260) 471-5870 e-mail: info@highviewhelp.com