EOCAWKI: I've Got a Secret. To Tell the Truth

One of the nicest compliments I ever received was paid by a senior journalist at a well-respected publication who observed upon my retirement that I always “played it straight.” I took that to mean that I represented my employers well but never intentionally misled anyone or worse yet, lied outright. That’s not always easy to do when people want information that you have but just can’t share. Walking the sometimes fine line between circumspection and deception can be tough for a PR person, but it’s vitally important because in professional life, as in personal life, trust is the key to enduring and effective relationships, and trust is built on truth.  

I tried to maintain a strict separation between my personal and professional lives but I'm glad to say that they were frequently bridged when trust led to mutual respect, admiration and friendship. In fact, my oldest and dearest friends are people I met at work; many are current or former journalists whom I would trust with my life. Sadly, I suspect it’s a lot tougher today to forge those kinds of bonds.

In a world of “alternative facts” and science denial, where high public officials and their representatives seem willing to lie brazenly, repeat outright falsehoods and viciously attack those who challenge them, it can be much more difficult to discern the truth that underpins trust. At the same time it’s never been more important to do so. For that reason, I offer a few thoughts that might be helpful:

If a flack tells you something that’s new

But you feel that it just can’t be true

Then hold onto your horses

And check out other sources.

That’s always the right thing to do.

When your boss has a tale set to tell

But you know that it’s false, full and well

If he will not belay it

Then refuse to relay it.

It’s something you just shouldn’t sell.

When officials elected to lead

Insist that you pay them all heed,

But their words are so phony

And they’re full of baloney

It’s essential then not to accede.

If the truth is dispensed with wholesale

Then democracy’s destined to fail.

But the answer’s not hate

It’s our own Fourth Estate

Where the truth and the facts should prevail.