Napoleon once said: “Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” While he did not have The Sun, News of the World, The Mail and The Sunday Times back then, Napoleon certainly understood the power of the media. Looking back at some of the treatment meted out by the Fourth Estate to some individuals and companies involved in litigation this year, it is easy to agree with him – at times a thousand bayonets would be preferable! Over the course of 2003, seemingly acres of newspaper coverage has been written about the all-too-often tawdry nature of high profile disputes between aggrieved parties.
Getting on the wrong end of an aggressive and hostile media agenda can have seriously damaging effects on a business’ reputation and the ongoing public perception of how it operates. The press, particularly the tabloids, decide very early in a dispute whom they will cast as the villain of the piece. The attitude they adopt can be very difficult indeed to turn around. Even if you are not the initial target of the media’s ire, there is still the chance that you will suffer if the journalists adopt a ‘plague on both their houses’ stance. This often happens in middle stages of a trial as the facts, so clearly set out in opening submissions and witness statements, become muddled by cross-examination.
