Our author points to some traditional crisis response tactics that he believes no longer work, and provides alternative advice for clients in crisis.
Crisis Management


PR Roundup: Oscar PR Preparations, Uvalde Comms Mistakes, No More Severance Silence
February 24th, 2023 by Nicole SchumanPRNEWS took a look at some organizations learning from past mistakes (Oscars), and some practitioners currently dealing with personal crises in Uvalde.

PR Roundup: Norfolk Southern, Tesla, Hyundai and Kia Show Varied Ways of Addressing Public
February 17th, 2023 by Nicole SchumanIt increasingly falls on the communicator to shape not only a response, but a plan of action and community engagement to satisfy the needs of those affected.

Southwest Airlines May Compound Crisis With CEO Snub of Congress
February 10th, 2023 by Evan NiermanThe Southwest Airlines CEO’s absence from this week’s congressional review of the aviation meltdown may be enough to ground the airline’s flagging reputation.

PR Roundup: Bard’s Failure to Launch, Disney Layoffs, SOTU GOP Meltdown
February 9th, 2023 by Nicole SchumanFrom AI failures to SOTU and corporate labor meltdowns, there’s been a bit of bad behavior for PR professionals to deal with.

Grading Memphis PD’s Communication: Better Than Some, But Not Perfect
February 2nd, 2023 by John GuilfoilThe beating death of Tyre Nichols exposes many things, including the Memphis Police’s PR work, especially its press release and police report. PR pro John Guilfoil, who works with police departments, grades the Memphis PD’s communication so far.

Crisis Averted: Adani, Hindenburg and PagerDuty Prove Communication Matters
February 1st, 2023 by Seth ArensteinWe thought Adani might have averted a bad situation since its FPO was successful. That changed quickly. PagerDuty’s issue is more predictable. Its CEO needs a communication function or a more competent one.

Preparing for Possible Negative Super Bowl & Olympics Media Coverage is PR’s Job
January 31st, 2023 by Arthur SolomonPreparation for negative media coverage always is important. For tentpole events like the Super Bowl and the Olympics, it’s table stakes. Here are tips for preparing companies.

First Steps During a Crisis: Gauge the Intensity and Show Vulnerable Side
January 30th, 2023 by Seth ArensteinIn part II of our interview with PR crisis pro Bridget Paverd, we focus on a human dimension of crisis, apologizing with humility.

Defending Southwest’s Response: Strategic PR is What You Do, Not What You Say
January 27th, 2023 by Anthony D'AngeloProfessor Anthony D’Angelo responds to a PRNEWS article and defends how Southwest Airlines handled its winter debacle. He argues strategic PR is about what you do, not what you say. As such, PR should lead Southwest’s recovery.