In an age of instant global awareness of any disaster or act of terrorism, it is no easy task to communicate from the maelstrom of a crisis.
Yet if your early reaction is not to offer sympathy to the victims’ families but instead to complain about the news coverage, you might take a second look at your crisis communications plan.
After a jet vanished over the Mediterranean with 66 people aboard Thursday, EgyptAir used Twitter and its website to deny “all misleading information published by news websites and on the social media channels regarding the reasons of the disappearance of EGYPTAIR flight MS804.”
Several crisis experts noted that neither channel offered condolences in statements offered in English. Earlier tweets did provide essential details to reporters and contact information for relatives.
Only about 14 hours after its first tweets did EgyptAir offer any concern on its two main channels, saying the airline “sincerely conveys its deepest sorrow to the families and friends of the passengers onboard Flight MS804.” The airline apparently waited for confirmation from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that wreckage had been found near Greece’s Karpathos Island.
The Twitter account noted that an Egyptian aviation minister had arrived at the crisis center, but it didn’t comment on what the Western news media were reporting: that he said the cause was more likely a terrorist attack than a technical failure.
EgyptAir has an almost insurmountable communications hurdle given recent world events, says Andrew Gilman, chief executive of CommCore Consulting Group. A Russian plane crashed in Egypt’s Sinai last year, the nation has had several major terrorist events, and MS804 was flying from Paris—the scene of recent terrorist attacks.
‘Hard to calm down the Twitterverse’
Still, it’s surprising that the airline didn’t express sympathy to victims’ relatives, Gilman says.
“In a breaking news situation when people want answers, it is extremely hard to calm down the media and the Twitterverse,” Gilman says. “The airline has now compounded it via its website, which has a statement complaining about the coverage versus at least expressing care and concern over the incident.”
EGYPTAIR Calls for media resources to be assured of the information they post or release
— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) May 19, 2016
In a crisis, Gilman says, the best response is to take these steps:
- First, express care and concern for those who lost their lives or were injured.
- Use as many channels as possible to communicate and issue factual information: Twitter, news conferences, your website, etc.
- Establish a channel to receive information from viable sources.
- Tell your stakeholders that you are working with authorities.
- Update information when you can.
With breaking news in a tragedy or a catastrophe, information and innuendo are often published first and verified later, making it difficult for organizations to respond, says Thomas J. Rozycki Jr., managing partner of Prosek Partners. He compared the situation to the Boston Marathon bombing, when there was a similar frenzy on social media, with reporters often participating.
“It puts organizations like EgyptAir in a very difficult position,” Rozycki says. “I’m sure they have a protocol for this, but it involves getting the facts before they broadcast them. … I would assume they’re trying to be responsible about the information that they put in front of the media.”
Publishing unverified information “complicates things for the families and complicates things for the airline, which is trying to do right by those who are most affected by this tragedy,” he adds.
I made a flowchart to help you decide whether to write that tweet about #MS804 (or other crises).
— Mohamed El Dahshan (@eldahshan) May 19, 2016
You’re welcome! http://pic.twitter.com/rVA8cELY0C
Take a sympathetic tone
The EgyptAir disaster is a fast-moving story, and news outlets are dedicating round-the-clock coverage to it, notes Gil Rudawsky, vice president of GroundFloor Media.
“EgyptAir should focus less on trying to set the record straight and more on getting out the facts it can confirm,” he says. “The media is going to jump to conclusions, and by taking the higher ground and focusing on what is known is the best course of action.”
Rudawsky adds that EgyptAir should adopt a more compassionate tone.
“Their website’s home page is dedicated to trying to set the record straight, but regardless of the cause of the crash, there are likely passengers who perished,” he says. “The airlines should acknowledge that it is a tragedy for passengers and their family and friends.”
EgyptAir’s tone did not sit well with some.
@EGYPTAIR how about you abide by the safety measures first, before giving permission for any flight to takeoff? #MS804
— Bachar El-Halabi (@BacharZhalabi) May 19, 2016
Some early tweets, alternating between English and Arabic, offered detail that reporters find useful. EgyptAir noted that the pilot had 6,275 hours of flying time and said it had lost contact with the flight when it was 280 kilometers from the Egyptian coast. It also listed the passengers’ nationalities, primarily Egyptian and French.
Organizations that could have a crisis involving terrorism should prepare, says Gerald Baron, principal of Agincourt Strategies. Terrorism causes much greater public concern and interest, and that feeds the needs of those providing the information.
Unfortunately in this environment, irresponsibility on the part of some news channels and social media users is rewarded with clicks and views, Baron says.
“Rumor management became job one in crisis communication when organizations lost the ability to be first with the news,” he says. “This situation makes that very clear.”
@ByWorking
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