The recent story concerning Rep. Anthony Weiner and the lewd Twitter picture sent to a college student puts the microscope on how to respond to a social media crisis.
Questions have been raised as to whether he mismanaged his response to the situation. Did he dig himself into a hole by not answering whether the picture was of him or by deflecting the issue with the “what if a pie was thrown in my face” example?
Whether it was a slow news day or not, let’s face it, what happens on social media can become a story in traditional media.
With hindsight being 20/20, how could Rep. Weiner have handled the situation differently and avoided being “debriefed” in front of the country? In a blog post on Washington Post’s PostPolitics, here’s what crisis management expert Chris Lehane suggests he could have said:
“Here is what I know — I did not send the photo to this young woman in Washington State… It would appear as if someone has hacked into my system… I have asked person x or law enforcement agency y to get to the bottom of this.”
Lehane suggests that right from the beginning, you should take the story head on, since at end of the day, “it is not a question of ‘if’ something comes out, but ‘how” and ‘when’ it comes out — and putting the info out on your terms is always the better route. You are seen as honest; you protect your credibility; and people give you the benefit of the doubt.”
Unfortunately, Rep. Weiner did not come off that way. Instead, he appeared rude and like someone who had something to hide.
Going forward, Lehane suggests this advice to Rep. Weiner:
(1) Do not add more info to the story.
(2) Announce the specific name of the law firm and/or high profile entity you have retained to do an analysis — and make clear that a report will be released down the road.
(3) Your ongoing position becomes: “I did not send the photo to the woman; we don’t know how the photo was sent or whether my systems were compromised; and we have hired Lawyer X to conduct a comprehensive review and issue a report as to the findings. (period).
(4) No matter what — this is the answer going forward.
The bottom line is before you post a comment or put something on social media, consider where it may end up and in whose hands. Have a crisis plan in place beforehand. When considering posting something appropriate or even a nasty comment, don’t do it.
You don’t want to get caught with your pants down.