Win the Race to Disclosure
In a short article about crisis management in the media William Essex also stresses how important it is to win the race to disclosure. And he also gives some rules:
1. Be first to issue information on the crisis.
2. Regularly, frequently, issue updated information on the crisis and on the status of the company's crisis-management operation.
3. All available information should be disclosed; the presumption should be in favour of disclosure.
4. Ignorance should be disclosed. "As yet we have no information on … " is an acceptable formulation in this context, subject to later provision of the lacking information.
5. Accuracy is an absolute priority, even though comprehensiveness is not.