Handling Negative Press

Throughout your career, it's highly probable that you'll face situations where negative news stories come to light. Regardless of the medium through which these stories are conveyed, at some point, you are likely to receive unfavorable press. While it may seem unavoidable, it's important to recognize that it is not entirely unmanageable.

Negative press can present significant obstacles for Public Information Officers (PIOs). It is crucial for maintaining a positive reputation that effective methods for handling and reducing negative media coverage are put in place.

Foundational work

The best mitigation against bad or negative news coverage is to ensure that you work on your brand and narrative every day, not just when a crisis hits. This is about building trust and ensuring that you are consistent, transparent, relatable, and authentic. The stronger you are in the first place, the less like you’ll be toppled by a bad story - or at the very least, the storm won’t be quite so bad.