Crisis 101: Responding to Media Inquiries
No matter what your crisis is, and no matter what your media strategy may be, the best way to manage a crisis is to respond to reporters and to do so in a timely manner. It may sound obvious, but too many companies fail to do this, whether because executives have stuck their heads in the sand, don’t feel prepared to talk with the media, or simply don’t make media inquiries a priority. But ignoring the media is a huge mistake that can be easily avoided.
No “no comment,” please!
When a crisis situation breaks, it is imperative to put together, at a minimum, a statement—no matter how short—that will serve as your response to media inquiries until you are prepared to provide further information. Even if it is something as generic as, “we are taking this situation seriously and conducting a full investigation.” Anything is better than a “no comment,” which can leave the public with the impression that you or your company has something to hide.
Proactive Media Strategy
Depending on the circumstances, adopting a proactive media strategy can be the most effective way to manage a crisis situation. This requires some fact-finding ahead of time so that you can work closely with one or several reporters as events unfold. Even if there is some uncertainty surrounding the situation, building a rapport with reporters and providing them with the facts is the best way to get accurate, balanced coverage of an issue. News outlets can report the best facts you have on your side only if your provide those facts to them. Stated differently, take every opportunity to balance a bad story with all of your best facts—including the story of what you are doing to take accountability for what went wrong. This last step is the key to protecting your reputation and repairing trust among your stakeholders and customers in the aftermath of a crisis.
Rapid Response
Being prepared for the onslaught of media inquiries is a critical part of managing a crisis. We often work with our clients to set up rapid response operations, which is simply a small group of individuals tasked with receiving, organizing, and responding to media inquiries. Those in charge of responding to reporters should be one or two people who are very familiar with all of the relevant facts, statements, and/or messages (depending on your particular strategy) which should be vetted by executives and attorneys. These individuals should have experience working with the media, and should be prepared and available to return phone calls well within reporters’ deadlines.
When you are unprepared for a rush of media coverage, your side of the story becomes, “Company X was not immediately available for comment.” This is not as bad as a “no comment,” but it is a wasted opportunity to balance the story with good facts, and perhaps more importantly, a wasted opportunity to handle the negative facts. Obtaining balanced coverage requires ensuring that reporters have facts to report—whether positive or negative.
Conclusion
It is a worthwhile exercise to conduct a “fire drill” scenario to plan ahead for a negative event. Identify ahead of time who will comprise your team of inside employees and outside advisors that you will call when a crisis breaks. Make sure you plan for good communication and organization, especially when it comes to handling the media. Urge your executives to view each media inquiry as an opportunity rather than an annoyance, and you will see what the power of communication can do to shape public opinion.
