Honesty is the best media policy

In times like this, the most useful thing you can do for your client might also be the hardest thing to convince them of: to tell the truth.

It seems many PRs are caught between two uncomfortable places – clients who want to project confidence they don’t feel, and journalists who are actively calling out the gap between what they’re being told and what they can see with their own eyes. Clients want to project business as usual when business is very much not usual, and the pressure to spin, to minimise and to send quotes that bear no relationship to reality is real.

Journalists aren’t just frustrated by the dishonesty – we’re actively looking elsewhere for the story. When I get a quote that sounds like it was written by a committee determined to say nothing, I move on. I find someone willing to talk honestly about what they’re experiencing. And 99% of the time, that person gets the coverage.

The UAE is navigating something unprecedented. Nobody expects businesses to be unaffected. Nobody expects industry leaders to have all the answers. What we need are the voices willing to speak plainly – the CEO who says, yes, this quarter looks different and here’s how we’re adapting; the hotelier who acknowledges the booking dip but explains what she’s doing to support her staff; the developer who admits the market has paused but speaks thoughtfully about what that means long-term.

That honesty reflects leadership, not weakness.

That’s what editors are looking for. Not the company that is “monitoring the situation closely”. Not the brand that is “committed to delivering exceptional experiences despite the current climate”. Those are the kind of no-brainers that annoy our readers.

There’s a meaningful difference between measured, strategic communication and sending journalists quotes that have been sanitised to the point of meaninglessness. The latter doesn’t protect your client, but it might just ensure we stop picking up the phone.

I understand the instinct to protect; the fear of saying something in print that spooks investors, unsettles staff, or ends up as a negative headline. But, again, there is a huge difference between reckless candour and corporate stonewalling. When a business leader comes to us with a frank account of what they’re facing – not self-destructive, but genuinely candid – it’s newsworthy in its own right. It’s rare enough to stand out. It gives journalists something to work with that a polished non-statement never could.

Ultimately, the story is happening whether you engage with it or not. You may as well help shape it – honestly. Because, right now, candour is the competitive advantage.