If anyone doubted the life-or-death importance of getting your message to the public right, look at the hapless plight of the right honourable members who sit in Westminster, and anywhere else the taxpayer will pay them to hang their hats. On Friday, the day that Justice Minister Shahid Malik was suspended pending an enquiry into his expenses, BBC Radio Scotland asked Media Mentor’s Paul Murricane to come into the Newsdrive studio for a five minute interview to explain to listeners what MPs should say to win back public confidence. The answer? Exactly what we’ve been telling our trainees for years when we give them crisis training. Don’t try to explain it away. Explanations sound like excuses, and the public isn’t interested. They’re only interested in action. Don’t look backwards – the media will always have 20/20 hindsight vision. Look forwards, place yourself at the front of the fight to reform a rotten system. And in case there’s a skeleton, or even a small metatarsel lurking in your cupboard, say you’ll put money aside to pay what isn’t allowable once the new system is agreed and in place. And don’t, please don’t sign a cheque for £40,000 to pay back maintenance work on your moat. For the rest? Throw them to the wolves…or as they’re known in a democracy, the electorate.
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