Sometimes the media did not misunderstand the organization, we simply gave them a story that was impossible to misunderstand.
Take the recent tension between Nigeria and South Africa.
After reported attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, the National Assembly announced an indefinite suspension of official visits and participation in South African -hosted legislative activities.
The decision was not communicated through whispers or via WhatsApp chat. It came with an official statement explaining the concern over Nigerians being killed, injured, displaced, and forced to abandon their businesses and homes.
So imagine an organization facing its own crisis.
Something happens, the newsroom calls, the CEO says, ” Why are they calling us?” The communications team says, “We need to manage this.” Management says, “Tell them it is not our fault.” And somewhere in the corner, one person is already asking, “But what exactly did we tell the media?”
That is where the real communication conversation should begin, because journalists can only report what they can verify, what they are told, what they observe, and what other credible sources provide.
If your first response is silence, someone else will happily provide the narrative. If your statement is vague, someone else will fill the gaps. If your spokesperson says one thing while your social media page says another, congratulations, you have accidentally created a newsroom meeting. If three executives give three different versions of the same incident, at that point, even your communications consultant may need a strong cup of tea before touching your file.
The lesson is simple. Do not wait for the media to tell your story before you decide what your story is.
Good communication is not about controlling journalists. It is about ensuring that when questions come, the organization has facts, clarity, one credible voice, a human explanation, and where necessary, the courage to say, “We don’t know yet, but we are finding out.”
That last sentence can sometimes protect more trust than your press releases.
Meanwhile, please, let us retire the habit of blaming the media every time a story does not favor us. Sometimes the media got it wrong but sometimes the facts were incomplete. If we are honest with ourselves, sometimes, the communication was already cloudy before the reporter arrived.
A Monday reminder for every CEO, founder, PR professional, and corporate leader: Before you ask, “Who told the media?” ask, “What did we tell them?” Because when communication gets complicated, the problem is rarely just the headline.
Sometimes the headline is only the symptom, and that is usually where I find the most interesting communication work, helping organizations untangle the message, understand the audience, and find the clearest way forward before a small communication problem grows teeth.
