Pop quiz:

Question: What do Oprah and Martha Stewart have in common?

Answer: Nothing.

When faced with the attention of the nation, one chose to tell the truth and admit her faults; the other chose to lie and hide the facts.

One faced months in prison, millions of dollars in legal fees and millions of dollars of lost value to her company.

The other faces public adoration and an even more deserved reputation as the most admired person is America (at least in my book).

I’m sure you have no trouble telling which is which.

I have nothing against Martha. She just made a bad decision and now must face years of rebuilding to reclaim trust. She was thrown in jail not for insider trading, but for lying about it! Oprah followed the Golden Rule of Crisis Communications: tell the truth.

It is pretty easy to see which option is the best.

Dan Janal
Your Fearless PR LEADER
PR LEADS Expert Resource Network
www.prleads.com