How to handle the media during a crisis
Your organisation may look to you for strength and continuity during a crisis, when you certainly cannot 'play it by ear' with the media. A traumatic incident is news; the media will be quickly on the scene. Any lack of preparation on your part could result in erroneous information, distortion of facts, and publicly embarrassing gaffes. If disaster strikes at your organisation tomorrow, will you be ready to handle frenzied media? Here are some guidelines to prepare you for such a situation...
1. Avoid being uncooperative.
Invariably in a company crisis a manager will be under immediate pressure from the media to make a practical response, so you'll need to weigh up the implications if you adopt a stance of being 'unavailable' or 'reluctant' to comment.
Silence breeds suspicion. If you are not prepared to give an interview, or you respond with 'no comment', then you must show that the company is not being deliberately obstructive or 'hiding' something. Offer good reasons for your silence. These might legitimately include insufficient information; legal proceedings, or the potential for such; a head office statement is pending; or a police inquiry is underway.
Remember also that the media have the ability to get the information they need - with or without you. So, as Diane Thomas says in 'Crisis Communication', 'almost without exception, your organisation will be more favourably presented with your input'.
2. Advise relevant parties first.
Make no comments to the press until relevant authorities, company executives, legal representatives, and next-of-kin affected by the incident have been notified.
3. Appoint a spokesperson.
You or a senior company executive usually assumes responsibility as sole spokesperson, immediately available to reporters who arrive on the scene or who telephone. This ensures consistency of comment throughout the crisis.
The spokesperson should take time to reflect on the facts of the incident and have them clear before interview. Two sets of information will need to be gathered: the actual information about what happened, how, when, where, to whom, why and the consequences; and collateral information that puts the incident into perspective - for example, if a worker dies in a chemical spill, details such as the company's emergency action plan, safety record, staff competency and training, and investigation procedures should be outlined.
