Denying Issues
Before Google became a household phenomenon and people began looking for information online for just about everything, many organizations opted to deny developing issues in hopes that they could resolve them before the issue got so hot that it the mainstream press started to take notice. It’s an understandable policy, but in today’s world of instant information that kind of strategy can backfire badly.
It used to be a safe assumption that most people don’t have the power of the media behind them. It’s not as true anymore because social media networks and blogging leveled the playing field to a great extent. These days anybody can cultivate a large following online based on his sense of humor, status as a prominent player in a game-playing community, professional affiliations, college connections, or on any number of other characteristics.
If somebody wants to get covered via mainstream media, they can generate momentum online that gets noticed by news hungry traditional media organizations. Denying an issue that can be disproved via a picture of a receipt, letter, or compelling video being shared online can be more embarrassing than the original issue.
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