A powerful politico is faced with an image problem.

What can the “accused” and “named”  do to clear their own name – which is a challenge when there are only verbal accusations and innuendos.

Let’s touch on three key items…

1. You need to understand that there is a courtroom of law and a courtroom of public opinion. The two arenas tend to use vastly different strategies when addressing issues like this.
2. Mega-stars and regular Joe’s appear to have two sets of rules. This is a fallacy. Mega-stars have a quicker “public rebound” cycle because of their access to the spotlight.
3. If the media inquires and you ignore the question the issue/topic will somehow go away. This is another fallacy.

In a crisis, the entity/person showing compassion to the victim will have an easier time of recovering their reputation and/or getting things back on track.

In this particular case, some would argue, truth is an apparent victim.

When truth is a victim, respond with transparency.

If your attorney won’t allow full transparency, then ensure you provide accessibility. Take the calls and provide a “vetted” response to any and all who ask or inquire.

Transparency and accessibility are two strong approaches to safeguarding/defending your reputation. However, there is a lot more to both strategies – just as there is more to making pizza than just having dough and sauce.