Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You refuse to publish the group's itinerary.
The members of the club are furious with you, but you become "king for a day" with the large numbers of staff and students who object to this group.
The glory is short-lived, however, because the next day the dean calls you and says you are legally bound to treat this controversial club like any other. You will have to include the club's itinerary with your next press release, anyway.
Public relations professionals, especially those who speak to the media on a regular basis, must have excellent decision-making skills, says Jeff Gaulin. He managed media relations for a government department.
"An error in judgment can be fatal -- for an organization, or for a career," he says.
"You must be able to determine if the information you have can be legally released to the public." Sometimes your comments can have serious legal implications, he says.
"So you must decide what you can and cannot say. At the same time, you must be able to decide what is important for your organization. The consequences of any error depend on the significance. Is it a factual error you can correct with a simple phone call -- or have you spoken out of turn and put your organization in a legal bind?"