When things go wrong you have to 'front up'. You have to talk to the media to limit the damage. If you don't, theory and speculation will control the agenda.
You can media train your company spokesperson in anticipation of a crisis but of course in the real world when something goes wrong your trainee will probably be absent through sickness or perhaps be on holiday!
So you can never have enough people in your organisation who are media trained and ready for action. The cost to your business of mishandling a crisis could well see the end of it.Graham Miller - Media-Vu
Media-Vu works with you to deliver the 3 Rs to deal with every and any crisis.R#1 Regret: You must express how sorry you are for what has happened. For the families and loved ones of those involved for example.
R#2 Reason: You should commit to a thorough investigation to establish the cause of the crisis. You should tell the truth if you don't yet know the cause. In either of these scenarios you should never apportion blame at this stage.
R#3 Remedy: You should declare that the outcome of any investigation into the crisis will be implemented as soon as possible. To make sure nothing like it can ever happen again.
A business properly prepared to manage a crisis will have a number of media trained people to follow these action plans. This will take control of the story and take the steam out of the crisis as early as possible.
Speaking positively about your company during a crisis is important. The goal of damage limitation is crucial. If it is not achieved your business may never fully recover.The crisis may not be your fault and so it's unfair that your business should suffer as a result.So, communicating to the media in this careful and practiced fashion helps you: