Max Mosely PR meltdown
Experts: Mosley must go quiet over orgy claims
LONDON, England (CNN) — Motor sport boss Max Mosley needs a period of “dignified silence” before finding friends willing to help rebuild his image after claims about his role in a sado-masochistic orgy with five prostitutes, according to media experts By Glen Scanlon For CNN
Mark Borkowski, a media commentator and publicist, said Mosley could survive the revelations. However, “honesty must overwhelm hubris.”
“You’ve got to get above it… fighting a losing battle will compound distress — while posturing legal threats are meaningless without determination and will.”
Borkowski said the key to rebuilding was to let the story die down before going on the offensive.
“He needs to collect a series of messages to be digested by the media to underline his position and treatment by the News of the World.”
He said Mosley, who has engaged the firm of former News of the World editor Phil Hall to handle his PR, had to listen to the advice he was now getting.
“You’ve got to start addressing the basis of it [the allegations].”
Borkowski said Formula One was dominated by arrogance, and at Mosley’s level he could not trust anyone.
However, there was “always a way back for people.”
“This is a time when you learn who your friends are… it is essential to get the people nearest to you to comprehend the real issues,” Borkowski said.
“People who trust and respect you help communicate the positives to rebuild a broken image while aggressive posturing will only provide a platform for the opposition.”
He said Mosley had to ensure his arguments were carefully constructed.
“Even if Max feels there are anomalies within their story — and he has strenuously denied there was any Nazi element to the sex scandal — the legal process is an expensive, long battle.
“And if the paper loses a legal fight, the apologies are never the same size as the original story.”
Borkowski said stories came and went, and personalities had to hope a bigger story took them off the media agenda. The Diana inquest verdict, for example, had provided relief this week.