Any company that cares about its reputation should be thoroughly prepared for a time of crisis and have a crisis management strategy in place.

It’s an essential component of the public relations profession and can quite literally save lives, save money and save an organisation from devastation – and, more importantly, protect its valuable clients from the consequences of a major incident.

If an incident is big enough, in terms of death, injury, damage, natural catastrophe or financial loss, journalists will be quick to turn it into a story. Journalists can move very quickly beyond the facts and will go for almost any rumour about what went wrong.

By having a planned, structured and informed approach to the media, however, you can limit the adverse consequences to your company or client. Indeed, a competent and confident approach to the media may possibly improve the public’s perception of your company.

Edwards Harvey has considerable experience of creating and implementing crisis management strategies and procedures on behalf of clients. We have assisted many clients with media management issues during an emergency situation, providing out-of-office advice and support to help alleviate negative press coverage of an issue which had the potential to seriously harm the client’s reputation and standing with investors and other key stakeholders.