Toolkit on Handling the Media Page 28 of 35
Handling a crisis
We all dread a crisis happening in our organisation – it is extremely stressful and
very draining. But crises both big and small do happen. Whatever happens, do not
panic.
In this secti
on w
e
off
er s
ome ideas on ho
w
to
h
a
ndle crises.
When there is a crisis it is far better to have the media sympathetic to you
than antagonistic. This is an obvious reason for developing and maintaining a
positive relationship with the media.
Ask yourselves: “what is the worst thing that could happen?”
Journalists do sometimes misquote – often through not taking careful notes.
Being misquoted is terribly frustrating. If someone from your organisation has
been misquoted, take a deep breath. Do not panic or act in a knee jerk way.
Assess the extent of damage the misquote is likely to cause. If it is minor, call
the journalist and point it out to him or her, and explain the problem it is likely
to cause. If the misquote is serious and likely to cause damage to your
organisation’s reputation, then take it up further and pressurise the
newspaper to correct their mistake. This means calling the journalist, saying
what the misquote was, explaining its implications, and asking what action
can be taken. The journalist should take it up with the editor or news editor.
Of course journalists do not like to admit they were wrong. Nor do their
newspapers because it damages their reputation. You can have a problem
proving you were misquoted it can be your word against theirs. So you could
be in for a long battle. But if the misquote is serious enough, pressurise
editors for a retraction (taking back what was written), or an apology (you can
prove they made a big mistake, like saying your board chairperson has
resigned when he or she has not).
And if there is a crisis in your organisation? What if your chairperson has
stolen money and the media picks up on it? Never say “no comment”. People
will think you have something to hide. If you really do not think it wise to
comment, say something like our organisation is taking this matter seriously
and will issue a press release… Then stick to your promise. You could
explain what process is being followed. If it has legal implications, say you
cannot comment on the outcome as you do not want to prejudice it, and you
will be letting the law take its course. The journalist will probably want you to
stick your neck out and ask probing questions. But if you do comment further,
it could have serious consequences, depending on the nature of the crisis.
Return journalists’ calls, and plan carefully what you will say to them. If you do
not return cal
l
s
,
they w
il
l probably try to dig e
l
sew
he
re to get their story
.
However big or small your organisation, you need to know who to refer the
media to if t
h
ey w
a
nt to get a
c
o
mment from your
o
rganisa
ti
o
n. If it is
a
serious crisis, then your most senior leadership person should handle the
media, and that person must do so consistently. But if your organisation has a
media spokesperson, make sure you keep them in the loop at all times.
Your organisation will not sound good if you have different members of your
organisation contradicting each other.
Have a standard organisational process for handling the media. Don’t
suddenly rush around trying to establish this when a journalist calls.
Be polite and helpful – even when you don’t feel like it.