Don't throw her live bait. Assume you do have a serious problem. You may have lost touch with customers or employees. Don't publicly denigrate critics, whether they are dissident employees, public or government watchdog groups, or journalists. Don't expect those you consider 'friends' in the press to stand by you in your time of need, particularly if you show any defensiveness.
Professional friendships have limits.
Managing your reputation is Job One for every business. Apply a tourniquet to the negative publicity. Meet the press, in a controlled environment if possible. Announce that you take the crisis seriously. Whether it was a 'real' problem or not before, it certainly is now that the press has gotten hold of it.