Press and communications check

Assess a press inquiry, publication or shitstorm

This interactive check helps companies, management, communications teams, agencies, platforms and digital business models prepare acute press and reputation situations in a structured way: from the first inquiry and suspicion-based reporting to correction, injunctive relief, counterstatement or coordinated crisis communication.

Start check

Press lawReputationPersonality rightsDSA/platformsGDPR/incident

What the check helps with

The check does not replace legal advice, but it bundles the key signals for an initial assessment of the matter and situation: occasion, deadline, allegations, publication status, evidence, business risk and the desired communication goal. How we support press inquiries and publications as lawyers is described in the section Press law and on our page on media law.

Spot deadlines, publication pressure and communication risks faster.
Separate false statements of fact, suspicion-based reporting, confidential information and personal references.
Structure evidence, links, screenshots, timeline and responsibilities for the inquiry.

Visual situation overview

Editorial board: inquiry, facts, risk and response route

The board shows the logic of a typical press case: first the inquiry is secured, then the factual core is checked, next the legal risks are prioritised and finally the appropriate response route is chosen.

ITMR situation overviewPreliminary review

Secure the occasionPress inquiry, publication or preventive preparation

Separate the factsFacts, opinions, suspicion, confidentiality and personal references

Assess the riskDeadline, reach, authority, data protection, business damage

Choose a routeStatement, correction, injunction, platform report or crisis process

Preservation of evidenceApprovalCommunication line

Orientation

How the initial assessment works

1
Record the occasion and deadline
Press inquiry, threatened publication, article already published, interview, social media escalation or preventive risk.
2
Qualify the content
Distinguishing between statements of fact, opinion, suspicion-based reporting, personality rights, trade secrets and special regulatory topics.
3
Secure evidence and the situation overview
Collect links, screenshots, reach, timeline, responsibilities, internal documents, involvement of authorities and previous communication.
4
Determine the response route
Consider a holding statement, deadline extension, note to the editors, correction request, platform report, injunction, counterstatement or crisis communication.
5
Prepare the inquiry
The generated short overview can be used as a structured basis for contacting ITMR.

What this check does

Review logic for press, communication and reputation protection

The evaluation weighs time pressure, publication status, specific allegations, personal references, confidential information, data protection or security incidents, involvement of authorities, business impact and the available evidence. It does not provide a final legal assessment, but a prioritised structure for the next step.

When is the press and communications check particularly relevant?

The check is particularly relevant with a short response deadline, announced or already published critical reporting, suspicion-based reporting, personal allegations, confidential documents, data protection or security incidents, reviews, social media escalations and parallel proceedings before authorities or courts.

Which legal interfaces may be affected?

Depending on the case, the law on statements, general personality rights, corporate personality rights, the Art Copyright Act (KUG), the Interstate Media Treaty, youth protection, DSA platform reporting channels, GDPR/TDDDG, trade secret protection, copyright, trade mark law, competition law, employment law and litigation PR may interact.

Why is preserving evidence so important?

Online publications, social media posts, comments, search results and platform content can be changed or deleted quickly. URL, date, time, author, medium, reach, screenshots, PDF/print versions, comments and further distribution should therefore be secured early.

What are the limits of the automatic assessment?

The assessment depends heavily on the specific wording, factual core, context, public interest in publication, deadlines, reach and available evidence. The check therefore only serves as a structured initial orientation and does not replace a review of the individual case.

Interactive check

Assess your press case now on a preliminary basis

Answer the following steps. Multiple answers are possible if several risks coincide.

Step 1 of 520%

1. What is the occasion? Press inquiry before publicationA journalist, editorial team, magazine, TV, podcast or research team is asking questions or requesting a statement. Press inquiry with a short deadlineThere is a very short response deadline, for example a few hours or until the next day. Publication has been announcedA critical article, piece, video, post or report is apparently imminent. Article, piece or post has already been publishedThe publication is online, in print, broadcast or spread via social media. Social media escalation or shitstormAllegations are spreading on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit or in comment sections. An interview, statement or quote is to be givenIt concerns approval, wording, authorisation, a quote, video, podcast or live statement. Preventive preparationThere is no specific publication yet, but a sensitive topic could become public.

2. What is it about in substance?

Please mark everything that applies.

False or distorted statements of factSpecific statements about events, figures, conduct, products, persons or processes are false or incomplete. Suspicion-based reportingIt concerns allegations, investigations, complaints, alleged grievances, internal tip-offs or grounds for suspicion. Personality rights / personal allegationsManagement, employees, clients, patients, customers or other persons are named in an identifiable way. Confidential information or trade secretsInternal documents, contracts, source code, strategies, prices, emails, HR matters or internal business affairs. Data protection or security incidentData breach, cyber attack, AI error, leak, outage, hacking, ransomware or report to an authority. Regulated or sensitive topicHealth, finance, law, children, public sector, security, employees, discrimination or compliance. Critical opinion or reviewThe account seems evaluative, commenting or opinion-driven, without clearly false facts. Not yet clearThe allegations, questions or content have not yet been fully assessed.

3. What is the current status?

Please mark everything that applies.

A list of questions or specific allegations has been receivedThe editorial team has sent questions, theses, quotes or allegations. Response deadline under 24 hoursThe editorial team demands a statement at very short notice. Draft, quote or piece partly knownText, quote, storyline, video clip, headline or teaser is known. Publication is accessible onlineArticle, post, video, podcast, newsletter or search result is publicly accessible. Other media or accounts are picking up the topicFurther distribution, quotes, reposts, press chains, screenshots or secondary reports. Editorial team or author has already been contactedThere has already been a reply, phone call, email, complaint, counterstatement or request for correction. No response given yetThere has been no reaction yet towards the editorial team, the public or the platform. Unclear / no situation overviewThere is no complete timeline, no secured links or no clear responsibility yet.

4. What evidence and risks exist?

Please mark everything that exists or is relevant.

Documents refute or explain the allegationsEmails, contracts, tickets, logs, file notes, invoices, screenshots, photos or internal documentation. Timeline and responsibilities have been reconstructedWho knew what and when? What decisions, measures and communication were there? Links, screenshots and reach securedURL, date, author, platform, comments, shares, search result, print/PDF or video secured. Affected persons or customers are involvedCustomers, employees, affected persons, whistleblowers, patients, clients or business partners. An authority, court, police, data protection authority or regulator is involvedProceedings, investigations, reports, supervisory measures or lawyers' letters are running in parallel. Specific reputational or business damage is threatenedLoss of customers, terminations, investor issue, tender, employer image, ranking, revenue or crisis communication. The facts are still unclearIt has not yet been established internally whether and to what extent the allegations are true. No evidence secured yetComplete screenshots, links, documents or an internal review are missing.

5. What should be achieved?

Please mark everything you want.

Draft a legally sound statementReply to a press inquiry, quote, statement, FAQ or holding statement. Prevent or defuse a publicationThe editorial team should not publish false, unlawful or confidential content. Demand a correction, rectification or additionA false account should be changed, supplemented, corrected or updated. Consider a counterstatement or public replyYour own account, website statement, social media post, press release or counterstatement. Consider a cease-and-desist, removal or preliminary injunctionLegal action against the editorial team, platform, author or distributor. Set up crisis communication and an approval processLanguage rules, responsibilities, monitoring, Q&A, escalation, press distribution list and internal communication. Still unclearFirst, it should be reviewed which legal and communication strategy makes sense.

Deadlines and risk signals

Typical review points in press and reputation situations

Situation	Why relevant	Typical measure
Short press deadline or announced publication	Uncoordinated answers can weaken legal positions or be quoted in a misleading way.	Secure the deadline, list of questions, medium, author and planned context; consider a holding statement and deadline extension.
False facts or suspicion-based reporting	What matters is the wording, factual core, hearing, balance, evidence and context.	Isolate specific statements, assign evidence and legally review communication with the editorial team.
Confidential information or trade secrets	Protection depends, among other things, on secrecy status, protective measures, origin and public interest in publication.	Review trade secret protection, NDAs, access routes, internal leaks and injunction options.
Data protection or security incident	For personal data breaches, notification to the supervisory authority within 72 hours may be required.	Coordinate the incident team, data protection, IT security, communication and information to affected persons.
Social media escalation or spread on platforms	Reach, repetition, comments and platform mechanisms can increase the damage quickly.	Secure screenshots, links, reach and accounts; consider a platform report, DSA reporting channel and response line.
Authority, court or ongoing proceedings	Public communication must not undermine proceedings, defence, communication with supervisory authorities or evidence.	Bring legal, PR, data protection, compliance and external litigation counsel into one approval line.

Useful next steps

Related ITMR checkers and follow-up reviews

Review/reputation damage checkFor negative reviews, fake reviews, abusive criticism and platform reports. Warning letter emergency modeFor urgent deadline matters, injunctions, preliminary injunctions and escalation. Document dossier builderFor orderly preservation of evidence, timeline, communication history and document package. Data breach risk checkFor press cases involving a cyber attack, leak, GDPR notification or communication with affected persons. Trade secret checkFor internal documents, know-how, source code, prices, strategies or leaks. Platform liability checkFor content on platforms, notice-and-action, DSA processes and UGC distribution.

Submit a structured press case inquiry

Briefly describe the occasion, deadline, medium, specific statements, previous communication and your goal. For publications, links, screenshots, date, author, reach and the complete piece are particularly helpful.

Contact ITMR

Note: This checker offers an initial structured orientation for press, communication and reputation situations. It does not replace a legal review of the individual case. Whether claims for injunctive relief, rectification, retraction, counterstatement, removal, damages or other measures exist depends on the specific wording, context, evidence, public interest in publication and deadlines.