06/07/2017

A Digital-first Crisis Communications Plan

Today's constant media stream has created a very volatile business environment

The rapid spread of information online has created a scenario where seemingly every day a company, an industry or an association is dealing with a crisis or issue. These stories or incidents that spread like wildfire online can be truthful like the United Airlines passenger removal fiasco, or they can be considered “fake news” like the recent incident with Chobani. The Greek yogurt manufacturer recently forced Alex Jones and his website Infowars to redact an article claiming their company was hiring migrant workers who were committing heinous crimes in the communities where their factories were located. Chobani was able to sue and force the website to remove the fake story, but not before the story had been shared thousands of times.

Even mainstream newspapers can post misleading or incorrect news stories. In December 2016, The Washington Post published a story that Russian hackers had penetrated the Burlington Electric grid in Vermont. The story went viral and was picked up by NPR, NBC News, Huffington Post and ABC News. The Washington Post later posted issued a full retraction of the piece.

Whether the story/incident/issue is real or not, information spreads rapidly online and organizations need to be prepared with a response. Here are four things you can do at your company or association to both survive and thrive in the new digital-first dynamic:

Please click here to read the complete blog post on LinkedIn.