The Multiple Faces of a Crisis

Recently after the LAX shooting, a story was released from the view of celebrities at the airport. Many stories in the news ask the common man (or woman) for eyewitness accounts. According to some, the shooter was only interested in killing Transportation Security Administration officers. With LAX being such a widely known airport, I thought giving celebrities more of a voice was an interesting spin.

Breaking news often takes many side stories to hook all different types of audiences. Some focus on the victims of the crime. Others, like the first story I read, focus on familiar names. The story listed accounts many stars made via social media about the situation as it was happening. Chris Harrison, host of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," shared his admiration toward first responders on the scene. James Franco posted a picture of himself in an airplane with a caption depicting his frustration towards the shooter.

I thought using familiar names and faces to add to the story was an excellent idea for CNN. The idea of the story immediately peaked my interest. As soon as I read one view of the incident, I wanted to know more. I clicked on link after link to try to piece the story together. Because of this initial intrigue, I then spent close to an hour looking at the news on the LAX shooting (as you can tell from my multiple links above).

Even in crisis situations, specific audiences must be kept in mind when writing news stories. Because the ultimate goal of CNN is to reach as many demographics as possible, the stories have to be varied in tone as well as content. I am very pleased to hear of the immediate response from authorities and hope all those affected will receive the care they need.

The People Don't Stop Talking, So Neither Should You

Chapter seven in Real-time Marketing & PR talks about a crisis situation involving a company called Eurostar. From what I've gathered, Eurostar is one of the only trains that connect London to Paris and Brussels. In December of 2009, a train shutdown, leaving hundreds of passengers trapped in the Channel Tunnel, as well as thousands wondering why their train is late. Instead of letting the public know exactly what was happening, Eurostar stayed completely silent. But their audience wasn't. The author found one tweet was being sent per minute bashing Eurostar. They didn't understand the problem, so they became angry, and who could blame them? Their mode of transportation was not working, they didn't know why, and they didn't know if anything was being done to fix it.

If I've learned anything about public relations (and trust me, my professors have taught me much about it), it's that the job never rests. If a crisis happens during the night, you have to jump into action from your couch, or wherever you may be. The public wants answers. If you don't have your side of the story available, then they'll start making their own side, a side that probably won't be great for your business.

It is also vital to keep your audience happy. Can this be done all the time? Of course not. However, explain what your company is thinking and why you think it'll be the best for your consumers. Make them see the big picture. In times of a crisis, let the audience know step-by-step what happened and what is being done to fix it. Let them know it was a slight mistake. Even if it was a huge mistake your company should have fixed a long time ago, fess up to it. Sooner or later, your consumers will figure out how you could have prevented the crisis, so it's better to be upfront and honest than lie.

I was astounded that Eurostar stayed completely silent in a crisis situation. They seemed to slightly monopolize the long-distance transportation system, but you never know when another business will have the resources to do so. When that day comes, don't you want customers to continue coming to you instead of immediately switching to your competitor? If you keep them in the dark on a crisis, though, they'll be happy to leave your company.