What are the best practices for responding to negative media coverage?

Excellent advice. The exercise of anticipating potential crises and considering the most appropriate resources and responses for each is never wasted energy. Even if you never need to activate your crisis plan, preparing for crises is valuable. In fact, identifying issues that could develop into crises can, in some cases, empower you to prevent them.

Act swiftly and thoughtfully... Start by assessing the situation thoroughly to understand the concerns raised. Communicate internally to ensure everyone is on the same page. Craft a clear, concise response that addresses the issues head-on, focusing on facts and expressing a commitment to resolution. If necessary, apologise and outline specific steps your company will take to rectify the situation. Use multiple channels to distribute your response, ensuring it reaches a broad audience. Always, maintain a professional tone, and consider engaging in direct dialogue with the concerned parties to demonstrate your commitment to transparency and accountability.

In the chaotic dance of media coverage, negativity can waltz in uninvited. But fear not, for the unsung hero, the Crisis Plan, awaits backstage. Picture this: while others panic, you command the stage with a well-rehearsed playbook. Goals? Check. Strategies? Check. Spokespersons ready to dazzle? Double-check. In the theater of media storms, your Crisis Plan is the director, turning chaos into a well-scripted drama. So, when the critics are out for blood, your performance isn't a tragedy—it's a triumphant plot twist, leaving the audience in awe of your crisis-defying prowess.

In a crisis focused on external communication, many people need to remember to keep their people informed. I've heard employees say they heard the news about their company from the news. This should never happen and can create a crisis within a crisis. A crisis communications strategy has several layers. To optimize efforts for my clients, I advise dedicating two teams: one for external comms and one for internal comms. Also, be prepared to pivot and have a backup to the backup. At least every quarter, you should regularly revisit and update your crisis management plan and include input from all key stakeholders. Then, several months out, schedule time with essential colleagues to review the plan and ensure it still achieves your goals.

There is a cliche out there that goes something to the effect of an ounce of prevention spares a pound of troubles. In many ways, avoiding bad news altogether is the best plan. 1. Do not hire or quickly remove problematic people from your company. Companies are amorphous things. Employees are the embodiment of companies. What employees do is largely a function of their character. By employing only people who meet the high standards you set for conduct, you will avoid a lot of headaches in the future. 2. Strive for and achieve operational excellence. Bad news is often the results of expectations not being met by some portion of the public. Competence is a huge prevention tactic. 3. Don't put your company in bad spots. Be strategic.

Monitoring the PR media landscape is an essential activity for businesses and individuals to stay updated on industry trends, competitor activities, and public perception about your organization.

Think of media monitoring as social media stalking for businesses. Forget the passive-aggressive lurking; be the Sherlock Holmes of your brand. Google Alerts aren't just notifications; they're your bat signal for potential PR disasters. Social media listening isn't eavesdropping; it's setting up spy mics to catch whispers about your brand. Media monitoring services aren't just fancy subscriptions; they're the private investigators digging through the dirt on your behalf. In the media landscape jungle, you're not a passive observer; you're the lioness, watching for any hint of danger or opportunity. So, don't just monitor; hunt, adapt, and conquer the media savannah.

The worst thing your organization could say when facing a crisis is “no comment”. By ignoring or not responding to any questions, your company comes across as insensitive and indifferent. It also leaves room for people to fill in the gaps themselves with incorrect or untruthful information—which can lead to gossip, anger and misinformation. Telling the public that you’re working on a resolution (even if you don’t have all the answers in that moment) helps people understand your organization cares enough to address the problem at hand.

Newsflash: Ignoring a PR disaster is like ignoring a tornado in your living room—it won't end well. Remember BP's oil spill? They didn't ignore it, and neither should you. Pretending it's a unicorn party won't cut it. Swiftly acknowledge the mess, not like a cat pretending it didn't knock over the vase. Be a problem-solving superhero, not an ostrich with its head in the sand. Issue a statement, not a smoke signal. Own it, or the internet will own you. Acknowledge the chaos; it's your first step in PR jiu-jitsu.

Recognizing the situation, it is important to weigh the points raised and understand the severity of the criticisms. A company that does not engage in active listening during a crisis ends up sounding oblivious to the criticisms and issues proactive statements disconnected from the matter.

Addressing an issue, the PR band-aid, right? But what if we turned it into a rebellious graffiti mural? Forget explanations; make it a dance of chaos, where each move is an unexpected twist. Prevention? Turn it into a magic show, where the disappearing act is the problem itself. Compensation? Make it a wild auction, where chaos bids for redemption. Positive aspects? Let them be sparks in the fireworks display of unpredictability. Regaining trust? Turn it into a rollercoaster of emotions. In this insurgency against PR norms, addressing an issue isn't a script; it's the freestyle rap of reputation redemption. So, ditch the rehearsed lines; let chaos spit the truth.

During negative coverage, there is likely to be a member of your organization or leadership group disputing the fairness of coverage or other points of a story. Proceed with care and attention. Ensure that only one individual contacts a reporter or editor in a matter involving a factual correction or an issue of journalistic integrity. Ideally that should be the party with the strongest relationship with a media outlet, and someone who can objectively present your organization’s concern.

Consider carefully your choice for spokesperson in any crisis. Ideally it would be someone who is: comfortable speaking publicly; able to think on their feet; thoughtful and sincere; and a good judge of what should or should not be shared publicly. While it is natural to have agency's leader designated as spokesperson, but there may be instances when you do not want the face of your agency attached to a disaster. It may be preferable to have your top security officer or CFO or subject matter expert as spokesperson. Your leader could and should be the voice of calm, comfort and stability in a crisis.

Prepare, prepare, prepare… ideally well before you have to face a scrum. If you anticipate potentially negative coverage, ensure you have a full questions list tied to your key messages. Some questions may be repetitive, but it’s essential to get all of them down so you can anticipate every avenue of response. Train your spokesperson with a camera simulating a scrum and be critical with them. They may only be familiar with positive coverage. They may not anticipate the stress of a difficult story. A reasonable simulation and the opportunity to fully understand how their actions under pressure will affect your reputation are key boosts, for them and for your organization.

It is also important: - Summarizing the lessons learned from the crisis. - Monitor reputation recovery and improvement. - Monitor reactions to your way of dealing with the crisis, and improve your plan if necessary. - Thanking the journalists who contributed to improving your service. Make them partners, and make them feel their importance and role.