Page 189 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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1 170 Crisis Communication
ated that pace, bringing news and events into millions of homes with
stark and often emotion-laden images.
So today, with the pervasiveness of the internet, with people
accessing information 24/7, and with the web as a global source of news
and information, is crisis communication facing a new set of chal-
lenges? Or are these just the same crisis management issues we’ve
always faced, just moving faster?
Well, certainly the internet accelerates the pace and scope of crises
faster than ever before. Yet, the internet is more than just a faster
channel for information. It’s a different kind of medium that is
realigning the role and influence of the media, institutions and corpo-
rations, while empowering the average citizen with a computer. The
internet is the first medium that promotes a new kind of interactive
communication, sharing and collaboration. While the web of 15 years
ago was all about sending and accessing vast amounts of information,
today’s Web 2.0 is about collaboration. It’s about connecting people
and ideas in new ways. While experienced crisis communication pro-
fessionals can still apply their well-learnt principles of quick response
and corporate transparency, the internet is changing the game. It’s
creating risk, challenges and opportunities for the public relations
counsellor.

The nature of the net… fast, expansive,

inclusive and a great leveller

There are certainly aspects of the web that challenge traditional crisis
communication models for the public relations professional. The
internet is an instant information medium that cuts both ways. A
rumour, news story, changing stock price or new research all hit the
web instantly, fuelling an immediate crisis with little time to respond.
Or the net can be a real-time conduit for a corporate response.
The net is also a content- and media-rich channel. We get informa-
tion from pictures, YouTube-posted videos, satellite images of our
homes and friends’ postings on MySpace. These new media have the
power to convey stories in more engaging ways than printed pages.
Public relations professionals are learning that responding on the web
with just a press release and fact sheet doesn’t work anymore. Savvy
companies are responding with web-rich content such as blogs, pod-
casts, RSS feeds, video and links to meaningful resources.
The internet also connects people and ideas in new ways. It creates
relationships and interdependencies between people and organiza-