Ted’s current conflict with George highlights a relatively common conflict in media relations and communications in general. While Ted could have done a better job communicating his position to his ally, George, he was not “wrong” in any way, and neither was George. George could have done a better job as a communications specialist and finance journalist by asking more probing questions that might have enabled or encouraged Ted to open up more. Likewise, Ted could have done a better job as the firm’s media relations specialist by presenting ABC’s position more comprehensively. Ted certainly needed a more comprehensive media relations strategy, but George is simply displacing his own responsibility for a poor job by blaming Ted. Salvaging Ted and George’s relationship will require compassion and emotional intelligence on both their parts. Ted needs to understand George’s position. George risks serious repercussions for losing the story by being outdone by a competitor media organization. Given George had trusted Ted to divulge without needing extra coaxing, it is Ted who needs to make more of an effort to rebuild trust as they forge a new alliance for the future. Similarly, George needs to take responsibility for his role instead...

George needs to take a more proactive approach when interviewing sources that he considers friends; Ted needs to develop a more sensible media relations strategy and refresh his understanding of media crises like these.
With niche media in particular like financial reporting, media relations specialists like Ted need to expand their repertoire and revamp their strategies to encompass a wider range of tactics and techniques. As Salzman (2016) points out, the potential for a small miscommunication, like the one that evolved between Ted and George, to grow into a full scale crisis is exacerbated by the addition of social media mechanisms. Ted can ill afford to have a total crisis on his hands, and his claim that he was only remaining loyal to his company rings untrue. Ted’s job as media relations specialist is to consider how to use the media to ABC’s advantage. As Zoch & Moleda (2010) point out, media and press relations have evolved beyond the unidirectional and toward the multidirectional building of relationships. Media relations are complex and multifaceted, requiring cooperation and collaboration from both Ted and George.

If I had been Ted, I would have handled the situation…