In crisis? Here are 4 tips for navigating the news cycle

Until Monday’s mea culpa from New York Rep. Anthony Weiner about his breach in judgment about sending Twitpics of himself in his drawers to women, he was reviled. Clearly, the public knew he was hiding something, and the issue boiled into a salacious media frenzy, one with no hope of subsiding.

His tearful apology, though painful to watch, may have been the only tactic left to save Weiner’s political career. To a certain extent, he now has bought a tiny bit of public sympathy. Is it enough to get his mayoral campaign back on track? Unlikely, but at least he has a chance, and he has shortened the shelf life for jokes at his expense in late-night talk-show monologues.

What can we take away from this latest political gaffe? Here are some options to try to get in front of the news cycle for those who are facing potentially embarrassing news.