Monitoring Information for Crisis Management

We must be clear that the stories and news items creates perceptions in the public, who the readers of these news feeds. Hence, the importance of monitoring what the media are publishing for the purpose of management of the crisis is very high.

When talking  about the media and press, one can think of information and opinion, the opinion of the professionals in the media, writers and other collaborators on current news.

Recall that not only the media picture but also the builders, who are unfortunately the destroyers. A corporate image built over many years could be destroyed in minutes by a bad news            disseminated by a media outlet, thus causing a media crisis with catastrophic consequences for any company.

The working capital with the media are perceptions, which are fragile and weak and more when it comes to news and causing controversy involving a well known company.

If your company hires a consultant in crisis management who ignores what the media are running or does not give much importance, then be very careful because their boards have no support, as the basis for decision making in crisis management is the monitoring of information.

Today, the permanent monitoring of the media has become a staple of public relations, since it serves as a benchmark for measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of PR, with the positioning of the image given by a company which can create half the impact that the publication of news in the media selected for this purpose can have. Monitoring news allows the company to take      appropriate decisions, and redefine business strategies and corporate communication, especially in handling a crisis.

An adequate monitoring of the press allows us, in a crisis management, to identify those          involved in the news, those who support us and those opposing us. We also know immediately what specific media and journalists have some influence, and we can also take care of those who seek a rapprochement and to neutralize any media attack on the organization.

I have had to live through business situations of crisis where, after a thorough monitoring of the news, its principal officers, in a fit of anger-ordered lawsuits against any journalists, on the ground that the version of the facts they have covered in the news is maliciously distorted.

It has been repeated many times in history that those aggressive managers or directors who have conducted a series of bold moves as a reaction according to them, has given them a high apparent power and control over their adversaries. But this is temporary because the thoughtlessly carried out act and strong emotions are enemies, which later get joined.