Public relations is a lot of things, but it’s not “spinning” untruths, covering up, or sending reporters down a rabbit hole. A public relations professional (like P&A Prez Patricia Pickett) who has taken the time and effort to earn an APR from the Public Relations Society of America is serious about clearly and truthfully communicating … whether that is a news release regarding a new business, a media “pitch” for a time-sensitive topic or crisis communication.

The latter we try to avoid … not because we don’t like it or because we don’t do it well. But avoiding it — with a proactive crisis communication plan — is much more preferable than clumsily answering important questions on the fly that can cause months of heartache and possible litigation down the road.