Communicators must attach a face to every message, especially during crises, said former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
This approach highlights accountability, he emphasised.
“No one likes a corporate statement anymore. When a crisis hits, a faceless press release won’t rebuild trust,” Khairy told the Global Public Relations Conference and Festival Malaysia 2025.
“It will only erode it. You have to put a face to it,” he added.
Read the Room First
PR practitioners should always gauge public sentiment before releasing statements.
“We assume clear communication is enough, but context matters. Consider how your words land beyond your circle,” he said.
Messages often fail when crafted in isolation, sounding elitist or insensitive.
“The statement feels right in our bubble. Out in public, it comes across as out of touch or lacking empathy,” Khairy noted.
“It might seem fine during drafting, but awful once released.”
AstraZeneca Lesson in Accountability
Khairy recalled the 2021 AstraZeneca opt-in registration chaos.
He chose personal responsibility over generic statements.
At a live press conference the next day, he apologised for the messy second-round process and announced a probe into the technical glitches.
