Case Studies
Crisis News Management - the 'quick bleed'
12/09/2007In January 1994 an oil slick came ashore near the mouth of the Mersey. Within days it had spread right up the West coast to the Flyde, oiling thousands of seabirds and contaminating beaches.
It seemed that an oil tanker had flushed out its tanks after discharging its cargo. Flushing beyond the 3-mile coastal limits is not illegal but it's hardly a responsible environmental decision. The culprit, once discovered, would have faced serious media flak. Its reputation would have been holed below the water line and the company's share price could have been torpedoed.
About a week later, as journalists began to close in on the likely culprit, the BBC in Manchester took a call from a Dutch shipping line. The company admitted that one of its vessels seemed to be responsible.
Their communications advisors said they believed one of the shipping line's tankers in Rotterdam had been the source of the discharge. They said they were appalled by the irresponsibility and the ship's master had been disciplined. Perhaps more surprisingly, their managing director was flying to the UK immediately to make himself available for media interviews.
After a live interview on BBC TV he took calls from local authorities and bird organisations involved in the clean-up. Claims were swiftly settled.
It was a example of skilled crisis news management. By going for a 'quick bleed' and tackling the issue promptly the story died within 24 hours and the shipping line came out smelling of roses with its reputation and share price intact.
