Crisis Communication – Creating Media Partners for Transportation Disasters

The 24-hour news cycle is a phenomenon that is here to stay. As transportation professionals we must learn to control this phenomenon with confidence and finesse, especially when it relates to transportation incidents and accidents. The media should not be viewed as the enemy, but as a potential partner who can assist with providing, obtaining, and disseminating critical information to populations who have an interest and/or stake in the event that has occurred. Previously viewed as “just another function” of the public relations department, research in the areas of communications and mass media has discovered that the communication processes used during a disaster (crisis) of any type have become highly specialized. Traditional public relations skills and training provide a base knowledge, but specially trained individuals are needed to create and maintain a cooperative partnership with the media, in an effort to control the message to reduce unsubstantiated accusations, disclosures, and panic. A Purdue University aviation technology researcher as been working with communication and media professionals to develop crisis / disaster communication programs and processes needed to handle the delicate and demanding area of crisis communication for the transportation industry. This paper shows the effects of using specialized programs to develop positive and trusting relationships with media (and other populations) during times of normal operations, and how these partnerships can be used to handle crisis communication in a controlled and positive manner. In addition, the paper addresses the need for specialized training in the area of crisis communication, and discusses programs to provide this training. Crisis communication is not an element transportation professionals can leave to chance, or rely on the basic skills of public relations professionals to handle efficiently. In this era of 24-hour, on-demand news we must be proactive in establishing communication processes and programs to provide accurate and timely information to maintain the public’s trust during a time of crisis. The inability to properly manage crisis communication can lead to public mistrusted, unwarranted suffering, and devastating economic problems for an organization.