A media crisis can hit any company or organization.

A product safety recall, a customer data breach, even an insensitive comment or tweet from an executive can trigger a media firestorm. Always-on cable news and social media can spread bad news and misinformation, literally around the world, in minutes.

A mishandled crisis can damage reputations and hurt bottom lines. But many companies and organizations don’t prioritize media crisis training, or they create a crisis management plan and then stick it in a drawer. 

Companies and organizations that create comprehensive plans can contain the damage and restore their reputations. You can’t come up a plan once the crisis explodes and everyone is in scramble mode. 

 Key elements of good plans include:

• Developing operational strategies.
  
• Creating internal and external communication plans.
• Identifying the right spokespeople and training them to deal with the media.
• Reviewing what worked and what didn’t once the crisis dies down. 

How well the plan is executed is crucial to your success. You could become the next JetBlue – a model of effective crisis management – or a case study in how not to do it.

The repercussions from a mishandled media crisis can linger for years; everything lasts forever on the Internet. Companies and organizations that get it right can move fast to get past the crisis.