Companies that try to control their messages, restrict access to executives, and refuse to open up to journalists may find themselves on the wrong end of a news story. This arcane method of dealing with the press is no longer effective and is giving way to a more open and transparent approach, according to an article in The Conference Board Review.

The Reputation Institute's Charles Fombrun calls it the "extrovert" model for dealing with media and other stakeholders. "The old style of refusing to comment, of tightly screening the media and attempting to control all interactions, is the introvert model," he explains. "Some firms can still get away with controlling all of their messages and access to executives. But given the changes in the journalism business, that strategy may no longer be so effective."

According to Tom Rosenstiel of the Project For Excellence in Journalism, "You need to be transparent about just about everything you can legally reveal. If you're open with the media and have a good message, they'll likely give you the benefit of the doubt when something goes wrong and push comes to shove."

When an executive realizes that the media is in fact the conduit to consumers, stakeholders, and even employees, the need for cooperation and an "extroverted" behavior becomes clear. Too many companies err on the side of caution, worried about warts that may be exposed versus the opportunity to tell their story.

What companies need to realize is that in this era of consumer-generated journalism, blogs, and the anonymity of the Internet, warts will tend to get exposed either way. However, the use of the "introvert" method of media relations may turn that wart into a disfiguring appendage while transparency, honesty and explanations can go a long way to reducing or eliminating unpleasant reports.