Last modified on February 14, 2011 by Brad Phillips

Question Of The Week: February 14, 2011

It’s the moment every communications pro dreads. Despite your best efforts to keep something inside your company or organization private, a reporter finds out about it anyway.

Perhaps the journalist has heard about an upcoming merger or major staff change. Maybe somebody tipped the reporter off to an impending legal settlement or a confidential deal struck between two rival parties. Or possibly somebody inside your organization leaked an internal document to the reporter.

But for many reasons, you’re unable to confirm the information – doing so might scuttle the deal, breach a confidentiality agreement, or undercut the media announcement you’ve been planning for months.

So, what do you do when a reporter knows true information about your company or organization –but you’re unable to confirm it?

Question Man

This question is a bit of a brain twister, and I’m eager to hear your thoughts. Please leave your answer in the comment section below. And please share this link with your social networks – I’d love to hear the opinions and experiences of as many people as possible.

I’ll highlight a few of your comments on the homepage later this week.

In the meantime, here are your answers to the last question of the week: Should You Ask Reporters For the Questions Before an Interview?