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SOLOMON AND MCCOWN LEAD CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHOP FOR BOSTON WOMEN COMMUNICATORS
"THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE – IF ANYONE WILL LISTEN"
Lessons from Behind the Scenes: The Case of Monsignor Foster
Who among us can forget the Church scandal that rocked Boston and then the nation? Amidst a whorl of media attention, the story of one innocent man seemed likely to be lost - with dire consequences.
On a Monday morning in August 2002, BWC Advisory Council member Helene Solomon took a call that would influence her life. Msgr. Michael Foster, Judicial Vicar and Head of the Metropolitan Tribunal for The Boston Archdiocese, stood falsely accused in civil court of sexual abuse. With a sterling reputation and legions of youth group devotees, this accusation rocked not only the Msgr., but also sent shockwaves through the Boston community.
The print media picked up the story, following a full weekend of television coverage. It was then that the Msgr.'s attorneys contacted Helene and Ashley McCown. They mounted a campaign designed to get the truth out, beginning an incredibly intense four-month legal and public relations collaboration that ended with the Msgr.'s full reinstatement to the church.
Helene and Ashley's presentation on June 25 at The Lenox Hotel took attendees through a behind the scenes look at this high profile crisis and mined the lessons in it for anyone whose reputation is seminal to her business.
