Online Public Relations Thoughts

Highly visible persons have a choice when charged with scandal  -- recede from view or gut it out.  Damage to reputation is done already.  The question is whether to risk more as ugly news plays out.  Some politicians have decided to stay in place despite allegations -- e.g., Boris Johnson, prime minister of Britain,  Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York and Gavin Newsom, Governor of California.  There are many more that can be added. They reason that bad times will blow over, and they just might.  On the other hand, they might not and their time in the public eye will come crashing down.  There is no rule for how to handle this kind of crisis.  Each is unique.  It is a measure of the person's ambition whether he stays the course or not.  There isn't much a communicator can do except to dig for facts and to emphasize them if they are favorable.  However, it is typical in such situations that the truth is murky.  Hence, the scandal feeds on itself and there is little one can do.