ABSTRACT
Crises for the companies involved. Plane, train and bus crashes; salmonella-infected eggs; contaminated Perrier and Coca-Cola; dangerous drug side effects; disasters at football matches and on ferries; financial crashes; mass job losses; plant closures - these types of stories all march straight on to page one. There are many elements of a crisis which attract the media. The keys to successful crisis handling are preparation and planning. The key to successful crisis management - and where possible, preventing or minimizing the effects of the crisis - is in contingency planning. This takes two forms: issues management and preparedness planning. Media relationships, can have quite a bearing on the reporting of crises. The only person who should play a role in the teams is the chairman of the crisis management team. Time, speed, volume and aggression are common elements of reporters' behaviour in most crises.
