Samenvatting

While media coverage supports citizens in exercising their democratic rights, developments in the media have turned organizations into glass houses. In this article we investigate what media attention and subsequent public reactions after incidents mean for social professionals who work with the so-called ‘hard-to- reach’. We draw on a practical example, literature and interviews. Media attention turns out to affect the public image of organizations and professionals and consecutively alters the long term public judgment. This results in professionals feeling powerless, unrecognized and pressurized. Professionals adopt different strategies to deal with the effects of media attention: resignation, defensiveness, caution and organizational blame.