I’ve spent years helping organisations navigate major media crises, from issues quietly brewing behind the scenes to breaking news stories dominating headlines within hours.
Sometimes you have the luxury of time. Something has happened internally that could become damaging if it reaches the media, but the story has not yet broken publicly. In those situations, there is an opportunity to prepare: to build a robust crisis communications strategy and put plans in place long before they are needed.
But often, that luxury doesn’t exist.
Sometimes an organisation finds itself at the centre of a breaking news story. Sometimes a journalist calls with a deadline and a splash already planned for tomorrow’s front pages.
In those moments, the first 24 hours are critical.
How an organisation responds in that window can determine whether it regains control quickly or allows the crisis to escalate further. Over the years, this is the five-step framework I’ve relied on when helping organisations manage a media crisis in real time.
1. Command
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Every organisation should prepare for worst-case scenarios. That means identifying potential risks, planning responses and ensuring there are clear crisis protocols in place before they are ever needed.
But even the best plans can unravel when a crisis hits.
That is why the first priority is establishing clear command and control. Everyone needs to know:
- who is leading the response
- which members of the senior leadership team are involved
- whether legal counsel is required
- who signs off messaging
- who will act as spokesperson
A crisis response team should already exist and be reachable immediately.
Internally, staff should be reminded not to engage with media enquiries or comment on social media. All enquiries should be routed directly through the communications team to ensure consistency and avoid confusion.
In a crisis, discipline matters.
2. Clarity
You cannot manage a crisis properly if you do not fully understand the facts.
What has happened? What is the full story? Is there more information still to come? What is circulating on social media, and how does it compare to reality? What does the journalist already know?
In these situations, I need the complete picture, good, bad and ugly, to give the best possible counsel on what happens next. We may also need to understand the legal position and what the organisation can or cannot say.
One of the biggest mistakes organisations make is withholding information internally out of fear, embarrassment or uncertainty. That almost always creates bigger problems later when further revelations emerge.
The priority must be to eliminate surprises wherever possible.
The first headline creates the crisis. The next one can define it.
3. Communication
Speed matters.
The longer an organisation takes to respond, the less chance it has to shape the narrative.
That does not mean rushing out incomplete information or panicking into a response. It means moving decisively once the key facts are understood.
At this stage, organisations need to decide:
- what they are going to say
- who is going to say it
- which channels they are going to use
That response may involve:
- a formal press statement
- proactive social media messaging
- internal staff communications
- broadcast interviews
- preparing a CEO or senior leader for media appearances
Sometimes a holding statement is necessary to buy time while facts are still being established. But holding statements should never become hiding statements.
In major crises, the public face of the response almost always needs to come from senior leadership. CEOs should be media trained, camera ready and prepared for high-pressure interviews long before a crisis occurs.
Most importantly, the response must feel authentic.
If an organisation has made a mistake, it should acknowledge it. If people need reassurance, provide it. The public can forgive mistakes more readily than they forgive defensiveness, evasion or dishonesty.
Some of the most effective crisis responses I’ve seen have been those where organisations took responsibility quickly, communicated clearly and demonstrated genuine accountability.
Message discipline is also critical. Media responses, particularly for print, should be tightly crafted, concise and leave little room for selective quoting or misinterpretation.
This is not the moment for “War and Peace”.
4. Control
Responding to the initial media enquiry is only the beginning.
Once a story breaks, organisations need to stay on top of developments constantly. That means monitoring:
- broadcast coverage
- print and online media
- social media conversations
- public sentiment
- stakeholder reactions
Communications teams should anticipate follow-up questions, additional allegations or second-wave stories and prepare accordingly.
Social media requires particularly careful management. Organisations may need to consider moderating comments or restricting engagement on certain platforms, although that carries its own reputational risks if perceived as avoiding scrutiny.
Critically, this is also the moment to remember internal communications. Staff should be updated by leadership, not by the news. A clear, honest internal update, delivered promptly, is an essential part of managing any major crisis.
At the same time, internal teams should be reminded of social media protocols and the importance of avoiding reactive or unofficial responses online.
5. Consolidation
Being in the middle of a media crisis is an intensely difficult experience for both individuals and organisations.
Part of my role is helping clients step back from the noise, see the bigger picture and focus on what comes next.
That means being honest. I do not believe in sugar coating difficult situations. Clients need clear advice, not comfort blankets.
But they also need perspective.
Crises feel overwhelming in the moment, particularly when headlines, social media and public criticism are moving at speed. Yet most crises do pass. Storms settle. Public attention moves on.
What matters most is how an organisation behaves during those critical moments.
Conducting a proper post-crisis review is essential. Lessons learned, updated protocols and a clear reputation rebuild strategy are what separate organisations that emerge stronger from those that repeat the same mistakes.
Done well, organisations can come through a crisis, minimise reputational damage and rebuild trust over time.
As the saying goes: today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s chip paper.
What defines organisations in the long run is rarely whether they faced a crisis – but how they responded when it mattered most.