Media Crisis Preparedness
The news media has a clearly defined understanding of what counts as news: a major crime, a major disaster or a major crisis. A crisis occurs when the reputation of an organization is threatened or actually harmed by bad press. Nasty stories can make the public lose confidence in an organization. Those stories can be accurate or inaccurate. It doesn’t matter because the damage has been done. Here’s our advice on how to be proactive.
Making Things Worse

While there are proven methods to handle the media and to make sure that the best available information is broadcast, there are also ways to deepen a crisis.
We all know about politicians and business leaders who automatically say “No comment”. It almost never sends the right message , nor do attempts to change the subject or to suggest that the whole thing has been blown out of proportion.
Some company spokespersons react to reporters’ questions without full knowledge of the situation. They hide behind jargon and even when they tell the truth, they succeed in confusing everybody. Sometimes companies will deal with the media through several spokespersons, all of whom use different statistics, offer different explanations, and send out contradictory messages.
Develop a Plan
Smart companies develop crisis management plans. First, they determine the kinds of crises that can hit them. Scandals, white-collar crime, mergers, firings, false accusations, downsizing, and financial problems can lead to a crisis for any organization. It’s no use pretending that a crisis can’t happen - that’s dangerous thinking. An important part of the plan is to
stay alert for any hint of a crisis and aim to resolve it before it causes trouble. At the first sign of a possible crisis, senior managers should meet to discuss it and find ways to contain it. If it can’t be contained, decide on messages that the spokesperson will deliver.
Certain background information can be prepared in advance for each potential type of crisis. For example, a drug company can have information explaining their standard protocols for dealing with drug contamination.
Much depends on the skills of the corporate spokesperson, who gives interviews and answers reporters’ questions.
The Spokesperson
A spokesperson can be the CEO, a VP, or an experienced communications specialist. There is one general rule that he or she must obey: always tell the truth.
It’s better to say “I don’t know” than to dish up self-serving bafflegab. And it’s never wise to avoid the media. If a spokesperson hides, reporters can always find somebody else to comment on the situation.
When this happens, a company loses the opportunity to control their message and keep the record straight from the beginning.
Manage the Message
Provide short, simple, press releases – never longer than a page. Reporters are suspicious of complicated graphs and statistics or anything that that sounds like advertising. When a spokesperson meets the media regularly and provides honest information, a crisis won’t be prolonged.
If you’d like to comment on this article or explore these ideas further, contact me at maria.
This article was published in the
March 2021
edition of The TMC Advisor
- ISSN 2369-663X Volume:8 Issue:2
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