There are proven methods to handle the media and to make sure that the best available information is broadcast. But there are also ways to deepen a crisis. It almost never works. Nor do the attempts to change the subject or to suggest that the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. When we hear that, we smell blood.
Smart companies develop crisis management plans.
First, they determine the kinds of crisis that can hit them. Scandals, white-collar crime, mergers, firings, false accusations, downsizing, and bankruptcy can lead to a crisis for any insurer. Managers who believe it are putting their companies at risk. Some companies are constantly on the alert for any hint of a crisis. They aim to resolve it before it causes trouble.