If we only had to deal with good news, life would be a lot easier for PR pros and media spokespeople.
But, of course, it is inevitable at some point you are going to have to deal with negative stories and crisis media management situations.
And sometimes there may be stories where you simply feel the journalist has not been fair to your organisation. Perhaps you believe your spokesperson has been misquoted or that your response was not given enough emphasis in the report.
One way this situation should not be handled was the one unfortunately adopted by the Frontier Airlines spokesperson Jim Faulkner this week.
Angered by a report about the company’s flight attendants on 9 News in America, Mr Faulkner sent the presenter Kyle Clark a stinging and very personal email.
He accused the reporter of having self-esteem issues caused by his height and called him both a ‘jerk’ and a ‘hypocrite’.
Here is a snippet:
“Kyle – you’re a jerk. It’s one thing to make fun of Frontier’s business model, complaints, etc, but when you start making fun of individuals, that’s on a completely different level. I’m guessing you must have some sort of short-man’s disease since your level is pretty low.”
It ended by saying: “Sounds more like you’re trying to work through whatever your low self-esteem issues are. So it looks like that in addition to being a jerk, you’re also a hypocrite.”
Mr Faulkner undoubtedly did not intend for his email to be published. But, as you have probably guessed from the fact we’ve quoted parts of it, 9 News did indeed use it in a damaging follow-up story on its website, which included a response from the insulted reporter.
Mr Clark’s response started by thanking Frontier’s head of corporate communications for his ‘thoughtful feedback’, before explaining the story.
It finished by saying: “Your choice to respond with a string of ad hominem insults about my appearance, height, facial expression, etc is unfortunate but provides a great insight in to the executive culture at Frontier.”
Ouch. Here’s what social media users made of it:
@FlyFrontier when you replace PIO Jim Faulkner, let me know. I've 20+ yrs of experience & can address issues like an adult. #HeyNext
— Lynne Ryan (@lynneryan) July 20, 2017
I have zero PR experience and could do a better job. Good job @FlyFrontier and Jim Faulkner at making more people mad. @KyleClark #HeyNext
— Sean Moore (@muir323) July 20, 2017
My favorite part of Jim Faulkner's Linkedin profile is his description that includes a successful track record of crisis communication. #smh
— Kevin Mullowney (@KMullowney) July 20, 2017
The second rule is to deliver your unhinged rants at reporters over the phone, not email. https://t.co/jrNkEvxd7R
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) July 20, 2017
We should add that Frontier’s vice president of marketing Tyri Squyres also got involved in the exchange, sending a statement which stated Mr Faulkner’s ‘inappropriate comments’ do not ‘reflect the views of Frontier Airlines’. She added that it was a ‘misplaced way of defending comments made about our employees’.
And it is hard to argue with that summary.
There’s a famous old saying about journalism which Mr Faulkner should perhaps have considered before venting his frustration through his keyboard and providing a response which could have caused its own crisis media management situation – ‘never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel’.
The worst thing you can do in this type of situation is to respond to the reporter with an angry and emotional email full of personal, and let’s be honest, childish attacks. You are simply handing them the conflict and controversy they love in a story.
So how should you respond when you think your organisation has not been covered fairly?
Talk to the reporter
I would start - once you are calm and the frustration has subsided - by picking up the phone and speaking to the reporter about the story and your concerns. If something is factually wrong they should offer a correction. If the issue is more about how the story was positioned, you can still give them your views. It is also worth considering whether you can offer the reporter a new, more positive, story to cover to redress the balance. If you feel you are not making any progress with the reporter, or are experiencing repeat problems, you can escalate to the editor.
Letter
If the story in question has been covered by a print publication, a letter to the editor can be a good approach. A key thing to remember here, and something which a lot of letters get wrong, is to avoid repeating the error or negative comments you are trying to rebut. If the story has been printed online you should be able to post a comment.
Publish your own response
In the digital age, companies have a range of options for publishing their own response to a story. Websites, social media channels and company blogs all give them the opportunity to set the record straight if they feel they have been treated unfairly or are concerned about how customers will react to the story.
Advocates
One approach worth considering is to let trusted customers or partners post comments to defend your organisation in the face of unfair coverage. Their endorsements, if directed well, could help maintain your reputation without you appearing to be directly involved.
Silence
In some circumstances it may be better to simply ignore the story. Going back to the Frontier story, it was innocuous and highly unlikely to create any lasting damage to the organisation and in that situation silence may well have been the best approach and would have limited the attention given to the story.
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