Garber on Business: Safe-guarding your reputation

by Anne Garber

Should you worry about your reputation? What is your good name worth to you in business? They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but these days the maxim should be amended to "…no fury like a journalist deceived."

With the encroachment of the internet into virtually every aspect of our lives -- and certainly as the life's-blood for every entrepreneur -- who you are in business, whom you choose to do business with and with whom you discuss intimate business matters is vitally important!

Before you enter into any kind of correspondence (let alone relationship) with a new business ally, it is essential to check him or her out via the internet (a Google search on the person's name, plus the word "problem," "conflict," or "difficulty," might yield useful information about this new individual in your work-life). Even a potential investor should be checked out for hidden skeletons you don't want jumping out of a closet to surprise you later on. If your new-best-friend turns out to be any kind of scam-artist -- or to have some dirty laundry with the IRS or Revenue Canada -- you could pay the price by seeing your impeccable credentials compromised by mere association with this individual.

It can be useful to run a credit check on your new partner, and it might also be worthwhile to make discrete inquiries among his or her known associates.

It is also important to be careful what you say about your friends -- and about your competitors -- and to whom you say these things! I recently interviewed a businessman from Oak Ridge, Tennessee in order to get his side of the story about a dispute that had arisen long-distance with a Canadian business. Instead of sticking to the facts -- if indeed there were any to support his case -- this fellow (I will call him "BABS" for "Bluff and B.S.") led me on a merry chase for the truth. His account and his highly personal and insulting comments about his competitor were so outrageous and far-fetched that I naturally checked every allegation out to the "nth" degree. Among other things, he told me that the Canadian competitor had been investigated for theft by the RCMP, the FBI and the U.S. Immigration authorities! I asked him if he had a case file or the name of an investigating officer, and he tried to change the subject, dismissing my questions with a lofty "I understand these things happened, but I wasn't there" kind of response.

These false allegations were easy to uncover. I simply called my contacts at the RCMP, the FBI and U.S. Immigration, and discovered that the alleged circumstance -- and my informant -- was heretofore unknown to them all. Until now. So BABS created quite a sticky mess for himself. Did he think I would simply believe his wild tales and take them at face value? Had he never been interviewed by a genuine reporter before? How naïve!

Here's a simple rule to remember: Never, ever lie to a bona-fide member of the working press, on the record. Do not bluff, do not bully. Do not attempt to compete with your interviewer or show off. Don't even exaggerate. At the very least, your mischief will come to light, and at the other end of the consequence spectrum if you make unsubstantiated claims, you could certainly find yourself on the receiving end of a hefty lawsuit for libel! Reporters' notes are commonly subpoenaed for libel cases.

If you are interviewed by a reporter or journalist, stick to the basics, and give only those facts that you can absolutely and unequivocally prove are pure, unembellished truth. And please, please, do not insult the integrity or objectivity of the journalist by suggesting that he or she is biased against you (this cannot possibly go well for you!), that he or she is not qualified to interview you (or worse, that you are a more skilled writer), or that the journalist does not know at least as much about your business and your claims as you do. Chances are if the person is a business reporter, there's almost a total guarantee that he or she knows your industry inside-out. You might be unique in your field, but it's such a big field that chances are your interviewer has met dozens of similar people in hundreds of similar businesses. Be a little humble, and it will serve you and your reputation well.

My interview subject, Mr. BABS, even went so far as to inform me that he had been approached by "The New York Times" and "The Wall Street Journal," implying that these were much more important outlets than the newspapers for which I write. How could he know if I write for these papers or not? And his claims, of course, were ridiculously easy to explode. I simply called my editors at the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal (and they also checked with all the various assignment editors in their Business and Travel sections) and learned that they had never even heard of this man, and that he certainly had never been considered as an interview subject. Needless to add, Mr. BABS's name is NOW known to these newspapers, and considering his fabricated and self-aggrandising assertions, it is highly unlikely he will ever be interviewed for either of those well-respected newspapers in the future. He has become a "tall poppy." And credible newspapers will not want to tarnish their own reputations by association with him; so he has been the author of his own demise.

If there is a lesson to be learned from this scenario for the entrepreneur it is that one should safeguard one's reputation at all costs.

In preparation for an interview, it is fair enough for you to check out the journalist's reputation yourself, but do not challenge his or her credentials at the time of the interview. You can ask where the resulting story will be published, but don't be surprised if you do not get specifics; some writer's work is syndicated or goes to wire services and the writers themselves cannot say exactly where the story will wind up. Suffice it to say that if the story appears on the internet, it will be "searchable" for a long, long time.

You can ask if the interview will be recorded (it usually is), but you cannot review the tapes before publication. If it is not mentioned, you will be speaking "on the record," which means you cannot retract damaging comments after you have made them.

You will never be allowed to review a story before it is published, although -- on rare occasion -- a writer will read you back your direct quotes only before publication. Even asking to read a story before publication can create grounds for dismissal for the journalist involved, so don't put your interviewer in that vulnerable position by asking. Likewise -- although it has no legal impact -- it is just plain pushy to ask the writer when the story will appear.

If you are approached by a journalist, do not impugn his or her qualifications. If you suspect the writer is unprepared, biased or ill-equipped to give your story the credence it deserves, you can always refuse to be interviewed. The worst that interviewer can then say about you is "unavailable for comment." If you are asked an unfair question you can certainly refuse to answer or say: "I think that question is out of line." But believe me, if you are going to submit to the interview and then be hostile to the reporter, your bluff and specious comments will come back to haunt you. And your precious reputation will never be the same.


Garber on Business: Safe-guarding your reputation - To learn more about this author, visit Anne Garber's Website.

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