Ken Symon: Disclosure key to averting media storm

HANDLING a crisis is always tricky, particularly when dealing with a public figure who is well respected and more so when it is a politician tipped as a future first minister.

Add in the fact that the issue has emerged so suddenly and it becomes exceptional.

Calling in specialists who can give you expert counsel, as early as possible, is always the best way to go.

This is true in this case, where internal PR advisers have to act in the interest of the council that employs them. Those interests might not be aligned with those of the individual at the heart of the media storm.

However, the danger is, as in this case, that the involvement of a crisis PR specialist can lead to the fanning of the very flames they are trying to douse.

The key for Mr Purcell's advisers is to get ahead of the situation and not to be dragged behind as every new media revelation emerges.

It is most often best to get out as early as possible a full picture of what the situation is and move on. The story can then become a "one-day wonder".

However, what needs to be kept in sharp focus is the vulnerability of individuals in the full glare of the media spotlight. It is a gruelling experience, for which most people are unprepared.

• Ken Symon is managing director of public relations company Symon Media.