While many newsmakers bemoan 24-hour news cycles, savvy crisis communicators can use the microscopic coverage of events to evaluate an organization’s response.
Pay attention to what the organization says and does and shortly you will know what they are defending. If they are defending the CEO’s decision their words and actions will be radically different than if they are defending the organization’s reputation.
Another indicator of how well, or poorly, the response is going has to do with how quickly the organization’s initial statement about the situation is issued. Generally, if you’re going to participate in the coverage of a crisis affecting your organization the initial statement must be issued with an hour of learning about the crisis.
Although you may not know many details you can at least let people know what you’re doing to respond to the situation.
As the clock ticks the organization’s credibility begins to slide, especially if other organizations and people impacted by the situation are talking to reporters.
And no fair complaining about the media broadcasting or publishing information that may or may not be in sync with your version of the facts. You must address the needs and concerns of people affected by the crisis as soon as possible. The media is one platform you can use to deliver that message.
They are the jury in the court of public opinion and they will issue a verdict about your organization’s reputation.
Don’t forget to take notes about what you might add or delete to your crisis plan based on what you observe.
