Crisis Management is Possible j:4460

In the midst of the Penn State Scandal, many organizations are rethinking how they work with the media. The Second Mile, Jerry Sandusky’s organization, is reportedly close to shutting it’s doors for good. During this time, it is important they acknowledge the media’s questions and answer them truthfully in order for them to rebuild their reputation. This scandal has caused a major public relations crisis and has allowed future public relations consultants to learn how to work in similar situations when working for a nonprofit.

            In my recent nonprofits class, we learned many ways to react in a situation such as this. Here are a few tips that public relations consultants should keep in mind when dealing with their clients, both before a crisis even happens and during a crisis.

1.     Before a crisis, there should be a well-developed crisis management team that should include: an attorney, a spokesperson, and a public relations consultant

2.     As soon as the team has been developed, they should create a plan in case of an emergency. The plan should include the organizations policies, procedures and guidelines when it’s faced with a crisis.

3.     After appointing a spokesperson, someone should teach the spokesperson how to handle the media. They should also prepare the spokesperson with scenarios they may face when the organization is in trouble.

4.     During a crisis, the spokesperson should be the face of the organization. The spokesperson, again, should be aware of the organizations policies, procedures and guidelines when talking to the media.

5.     If an organization is faced with a scandal such as what is happening to The Second Mile, public relations consultants and the spokesperson should always be truthful and let the media know that they care for the victims affected by the situation.

As seen in many crisis situations, organizations and companies rarely express their care for the victims and, instead, blame them for the situation rather than taking the blame for the company. An example is the Firestone Tire/ Ford Explorer situation of 2000. During the crisis, both Firestone and Ford blamed the victims rather than themselves for the cause of the exploding tires and rollovers that occurred.

Public relations practitioners should always be prepared for a crisis to occur no matter for whom they are working with. Correct crisis management is possible. If a company or organization handles a situation and the media correctly from the beginning, a crisis can be avoided. An example of this is the contaminated Similac situation of 2010. Abbott Laboratories immediately recalled the affected product and took $100 million in lost revenue rather than avoiding the recall altogether and creating a scandal that could have damaged their reputation.

It has been seen many times where an organization or company does not handle a situation correctly and overall harms their reputation. As seen in the Penn State Scandal, the Second Mile may have to close their doors for not reacting to the situation when they first knew about Sandusky’s child abuse prior to the recent investigation. If they had let the media and the public know that they were aware of the situation and that they cared for the victims affected by the situation, they may have been able to keep their reputation as an organization that cares for children in need.