Page 137 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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1 118 Crisis Communication

Figure 8.3 Sea bird after the accident

Many lessons can be learnt from the Prestige catastrophe:

It had a serious impact on politics, food industry security, environ-
mental protection, public opinion and the political stability of the
country.
Many interested parties were involved: politicians, food safety
agents, ecologists and so on.
The crisis was developed and followed through the media and the
internet, 24/7, using mass media techniques, and the audience
determined who was the guilty party.

Such a serious scenario required new solutions: a communication
strategy and a plan from the start, a unique management and dialogue
team, and an accurate evaluation of the accident and its consequences.
It should have been an exercise in paying attention to the affected
people and public opinion. None of that was done. A year after the
events, coinciding with the first anniversary of the catastrophe, the
Minister for Promotion of the Government published a report,
‘Ministry of Public Works. Achievements on maritime security and the
fight against pollution in the past year’. It was too late.