Spin to build trust? No thanks.
When Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrell admitted that, indeed, a Metrolink engineer might be at fault for a Sept. 12 head-on crash, I was amazed at her openness and honesty in a time of tragedy. After a little thought, there is one tiny word wrong with her statement: the word might.
In times of crisis, the job of a public relations spokesperson is to deliver the facts, and only the facts. The NTSB had just begun their investigation and Ms. Tyrell had not spoken to any investigator regarding their progress on the case. To suggest that her employer was ever at fault before being proven so is a PR nightmare. Instead of remaining innocent until proven guilty, Tyrell had Metrolink guilty until proven innocent by her words.
“It was premature to assign responsibility before the NTSB had done its work. She hadn’t even spoken to them. She reacted too quickly,” says Jerry Swerling, Director and Professor of PR Studies, University of Southern California.
They key here is to show compassion as Ms. Tyrell did but to also stick to the facts. The now-unemployed Ms. Tyrell has explained she was trying to be honest and upfront to rebuild public trust. Her job is to report what is known and what is not known. Don’t lie to us to build trust.
