Reuters
Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman.
- The Blackstone Group's media relations team sent a company-wide memo to staff reprimanding them for speaking to the media without prior clearance.
- Business Insider got a copy of the leaked email.
- Click here for more BI Prime stories.
The media relations team at one of the largest private equity firms in the world is feeling like it's been left out in the cold.
In a company-wide memo sent Friday and seen by Business Insider, Blackstone's communications team issued a warning to its employees: If you're talking to the press, let us know.
"Over the past several weeks, public affairs has learned of multiple individuals speaking to the media without prior clearance," the memo said.
Read more: Meet the 8 Blackstone dealmakers who insiders say are the firm's future
Most big financial firms have similar policies, and employ well-staffed communications teams to control who says what to whom about what.
The memo said the team's job was to "develop thoughtful, comprehensive responses for each article written" about the $545 billion firm.
Attached to the memo was a copy of the firm's media policy.
"Unauthorized communications with the media is a violation of firm policy and can also create serious issues for our organization," the memo said.
A Blackstone spokesperson told Business Insider: "This is a standard memo we send every year to employees reminding them of our media policies - which are consistent with those of virtually every major financial institution and not at all noteworthy."