How the White House Botched Crisis Communications 101

October 21, 2020

Every good PR practitioner knows that no client is immune to a crisis gone awry.

Every organization will eventually face a crisis – an event or circumstance that negatively impacts its reputation, credibility or brand. The key is having a solid communications plan in place to manage the crisis – and that means having a rapid and transparent response to the public.

From a PR perspective, the White House’s bungling of President Trump’s recent positive COVID-19 diagnosis was particularly egregious. With more than 220,000 Americans dead from the virus and no end to the pandemic in sight, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Here’s what the White House should have done differently. In fact, these are best practices that should be adopted by any organization:

PR practitioners should strive to be the “ethical compass” of their organizations by having standards of accountability, integrity and professionalism that are beyond reproach. The White House should seek out such communications experts to better manage the next crisis.

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About the author

Sara Black is a VP at Bospar and a seasoned communications professional with 20 years of experience leading innovative and strategic programs for global technology brands. She currently manages brand communications and public relations initiatives for global leaders in AI, cybersecurity, data analytics, IoT, low-code/no-code and networking.

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