MISS

 

The story about Minster Caroline Spelman’s son being caught taking banned substances shows what can happen to a story when Legal advice overcomes PR sense – see BBC news web story.

Clearly concerned that the story would take off in the media because he is the son of a government Minister it appears the first course of action in managing this situation was to call in the Lawyers and get an injunction. However the very fact an injunction had been sought made the story even more news-worthy.

It’s not as though Spelman junior had been doing crack cocaine or anything – he was merely misguided in taking steroids to help him recover more quickly so he could return to his rugby. So why be so sensitive about the story?

Surely the most sensible response would have been to openly admit what he had done, take the sanction from the RFU (Rugby’s governing body) and explain it as a youthful misjudgment.

As it is, the involvement of Lawyers and first recourse to a super injunction leaves people feeling the Spelman’s have tried to use their power and influence to keep the story suppressed.

The moral is don’t forget the PR implications of your decisions, and what might feel safest (getting the Lawyers involved) may not be the best thing for your reputation.

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