The PR Cassandra

Looks like H-P’s relatively new CEO, Mark Hurd, will be testifying before Congress this Thursday, according to Reuters, about the pretexting scandal.

In my opinion, this is the only reasonable communications strategy to take:

1.  Accept it was a mess and wrong.

2.  Note new internal corporate governance processes in place to never let this happen again.

3.  The investigation was an over-reaction – don’t try to justify it.

4.  Choose board members more carefully.  Place the blame properly.

5.  Take responsibility for a lack of management over the investigation.

6.  Apologize for the use of pretexting and do not try to justify it – even though pretexting may not specially yet be illegal in California – it should be, IMHO. 

7.  Use this as an opportunity to leave with this as a caution for other companies.  Just because a company CAN do something like this technically or even legally, doesn’t mean it SHOULD.

8.  Stop treating companies like city-states.  Have a policy to deal with rumor, innuendo or leaked information.  It’s really been an issue, it seems to me, about corporate politics.