Crisis Management Tips & Resources

These crisis management tips and tactics will help you manage a crisis more effectively, enhance your crisis response, handle crisis communications more efficiently and respond to media for best results.

Your reputation, public safety, financial viability or your organization’s survival may be at stake, so how you manage a crisis for positive outcomes is critical. We hope these resources will help you be better prepared.

Best Crisis PR Tips

Here’s our newest collection of crisis PR tips, crisis planning strategies and tactics to help you build a bullet-proof crisis communications plan. It’s now located on our PR and Social Media Insight curated pages on Scoop.it when you can browse hundreds of the newest  articles from around the Internet.

Crisis PR & Management Tips Archive

For researchers, students and for writers looking for historical articles, the archive below has our original best crisis PR posts from 2008 to 2013.

You can find more crisis PR resources at Crisis Planning, Strategic PR, Online Crisis Management, Media Monitoring, Media Training and Social Media Monitoring in the PR Coach’s PR Library. Sites with a  W are PR Coach “winners.” Note, some documents are PDFs and may need patience while opening.

2nd Street Baking Co. Against the Mayhem
Excellent crisis management by a small business.

4 Lessons From the Long-Brewing Cochineal Crisis
Starbucks crisis management tips.

5 Fake Press Releases That Scored Major Coverage 
Gotcha groups raising stakes. Where’s media oversight?

5 PR Concerns Instagram Should Have Addressed
More crisis analysis.

5 takeaways from the Papa John’s debacle
More insight and tips that could have helped Papa John’s handle its online crisis better.

5 tips for handling media interviews in a crisis
Harvey Leach shares five media interview tips.

5 Ways Emergency Managers Should Use YouTube
How to use YouTube for crisis communications.

6 Tips for Improving Your Crisis Communications Plan
Crisis planning basics from Joyce Bosc.

7 guidelines for responding after a tragic event
Timely crisis management advice after theater shooting.

10 Crisis Communications Action Steps
Rick Amme identifies 10 essential crisis communication action steps.

12 PR Catastrophes that Crushed Company Shareholders
Interesting crisis impact analysis includes JetBlue, Nike, Exxon, Apple, J&J (Tylenol), Toyota, HP, Merck, Bridgestone, and BP.  W

A Seven-Step Formula for Crisis Management
This seven-step crisis management formula from ASAE will help you quickly plan and respond to any crisis.

Act Fast – Case 1
In a crisis, the need for speed is imperative as this Amme & Associates’ case study shows.

Act Fast – Case 2
More need for speed lessons from a crisis.

Activists’ Phony PR Campaign Hits Bank of America
Yes Men say no to BoA.

Amazon Gets Out In Front of Kindle Paperwhite Complaints 
Crisis PR lesson and how to manage well..

Anonymous Hacktivists Choose Targets of Opportunity
Inside the world of Anonymous and risk prevention.

Answer Tough Questions to Maintain Your Credibility
What’s your credibility worth? Not much if you don’t respond to the tough questions.

Apologize, Deny, Justify or Excuse?
What’s your crisis strategy?  W

Apple a Day Brings Pesticides and a Crisis
Crisis PR ahead for food producers?

Are PR Hoaxes Easier to Pull Off?
The Yes Men activists are working hard to make things difficult for Chevron.

Are Written Statements Enough in a Crisis?
Valuable crisis PR tip from Mr Media Training.

Avoiding the Five Stages of Scandal
Eight crisis tips that can help you avoid scandals.

BP Boss ‘sorry’ About ‘small people’ Remark
Chairman’s clumsy phrase starts wave of anger.

BP Buys $1B Worth of Good PR
Burnishing its reputation begins with $1billion Gulf commitment.

BP, Crisis Communications and Social Media
Terrific spoof video plus excellent crisis PR advice.  W

BP, You and Me: Perhaps BP’s PR Critics Should Look in the Mirror?
Andy Marken reflects on BP’s crisis response and hyper-critics at Bulldog Reporter.

BP’s Spill Lesson Draws Criticism
What can BP do if anything to restore it’s reputation?

Bad Times Ahead
Colorado mining company ignores state warning. How not to handle a crisis.

Becoming a Crisis Manager: Whether You Want to or Not!
Karen Friedman offers valuable insight into crisis management and handling the media.   W

Beef plant, govt mishandled communications on E. coli issue
How XL Foods blew and Maple Leaf flew above a crisis. W

Beefing up Taco Bell’s Reputation
Where’s the beef with Taco Bell’s crisis communications?

Being Everything: PR Won’t Find Answers For Petraeus
Rich Becker says PR can’t do it all.

Being Thorough – After a Crisis
Often forgotten, here are valuable tips on strategies for post-crisis communications from NEA.

Best Practices for Crisis Communications over Social Media
15 tips for handling a public relations nightmare in social media.

Beyond Control: Crisis Strategies and Stakeholder Media in the Danone Boycott of 2001
Useful crisis case study.

Blame Game: BP, Gulf Spill Partners Sue Each Other
Not smart crisis PR, reputation management.

Bracing for Aftershocks: Peanuts Cause Reactionary Communication
Rich Becker looks at the salmonella crisis at Peanut Corporation of America and its communications efforts.

Bulletproof Blog
Crisis communications blog from Levick Strategic Communications in DC.

Business Skills 101: Crisis Management is a Key Function of Public Relations
Crisis management basics to help you manage the inevitable.

Calvin and Hobbes on…Crisis Communication
Crisis PR fun, lessons.

Caught on Camera: World’s Worst Employee?
FedEx handles a bad employee-created crisis skillfully.  W

Chief Blunder Officer: Learning from Tony Hayward’s Miscues
Many crisis lessons from BP’s CEO in The Public Relations Strategist.  W

Chris Lee Sex Scandal: Great Crisis Response
Congressman resigns and tries to manage a crisis.

Closing Case Studies: Peanut Corporation of America
Rich Becker reflects on how reputation mismanagement and bad communication can kill.   W

Communicating the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
This podcast features two crisis experts reviewing the Gulf oil spill.

Communicating Through a Crisis
Dan Hicks blogs about preventing crises for business.

Communications and Media Relations
Accurate, consistent information and updates are essential in media relations and these NEA tips are a useful guide to crisis communications.

Companies Involved in Gulf Oil Spill Play ‘Name That Disaster’ With Eye on Posterity
Blame game being played out with futures at stake.  W

Communication is TSA’s Bigger Problem
Crisis PR challenges mount as TSA fumbles communications.

Communications Meltdown at Fukushima Operator Tepco
Tough look at crisis PR failure by nuke operator.

Confronting Confusion and Crises
Inspired crisis PR tips from Shakespeare.

Cooks Source: How to Avoid an Unnecessary Crisis
Food magazine gets burned for plagiarism and arrogance all over the internet. Great crisis case study.  W

Coping When a Public Relations Crisis Occurs
Michael Turney offers Wyatt Earp’s advice on a gunfight: “Take your time quickly and aim carefully.” Great crisis management advice.

Credibility Crucial in Crisis Situations
These tips on credibility from Steve Wilson will help you present with conviction in a crisis.

Crisisblogger
Gerald Baron blogs about crisis for crisis managers and communicators.

Crisis Coach: Marie Claire Stumbling Badly
Fashion magazine stumbles and mishandles a blog crisis.  W

Crisis Coach: Two Companies Get Products Recall Right
Publix and Keebler handled product recalls right.  W

Crisis Comms: Damn Insurance Companies
The bad, the good and insurance companies. Some get it.

Crisis Communication [Video 4:57]
A slide presentation with crisis communications and media relations tips from Allan Bonner.   W

Crisis Coach: Pictsweet Frozen Vegetable Recall
What more could Pictsweet do to improve its recall efforts with consumers?  W

Crisis Communication – San Bruno Fire
PG&E continues to get criticized for poor response.

Crisis Communication and Social Media
Timothy Coombs starts a conversation at IPR on crisis communication and the importance of social media as early warning signs, strategy and critical channels in a crisis.

Crisis Communications and Social Media
Here’s a look at the shift from traditional crisis communications to crisis management within social media. It’s important.  W

Crisis Communications Done Right
Aileen Pincus reviews JetBlue’s crisis response and determination to do it right.

Crisis Communications: Some Tips for When It’s Your Turn at Bat
Planning and preparation will carry the day in a crisis writes Jeffrey Geibel.

Crisis Communications: Who Should You Tell First?
Great video clip with crisis PR tips.

Crisis Consultant
This is the Institute for Crisis Management’s blog about best and worst crisis management practices.

Crisis Lessons from Toyota
10 valuable crisis management lessons from Toyota.

Crisis Management and Communications
This IPR paper by Dr Timothy Coombs looks at best practices in crisis preparation, crisis response and post-crisis management. Thoughtful AND practical!   W W

Crisis Management and Social Media [Video 3:11]
Morgan McLintic talks about seven ways social media is impacting crisis management and what you can do about it.   W

Crisis Management for Mad Cow
Hate it when cows get mad 😉 A crisis success for USDA.

Crisis Management from the Marine Corps
Well done! How to apologize.

CrisisManagement in a Rapid-Fire Communication World
Excellent crisis planning tips shared by Cindy Rakovitz.  W

Crisis Management: Lights, Cameras, Questions!
Excellent crisis management, training and testing guide from Wilson Group Communications.   W

Crisis Management: The Anthony Weiner Way
Angela DeFinis offers solid crisis PR advice.

Crisis Manager
This is Jonathan Bernstein’s excellent crisis management newsletter.   W 

Crisis PR Allstars: Who’s Your Favorite?
Jeff Domansky shares his list of six crisis PR allstars. W

Crisis PR Coach: Bravo Farms Cheese Recall
Could Bravo Farms’ cheese recall be improved?  W 

Crisis, what crisis? 
Crisis management planning is a board level necessity.

Cutting Employees? Be Sensitve! Here’s How
An 11-point list of the basics for a layoff communication strategy.

David Letterman Gets in Front of the News
Jumping out ahead of the bad news seems to be working for Letterman writes David Meerman Scott.

Deadly Deception: The Tobacco Industry’s Secondhand Smoke Cover Up
PR Watch scrutinizes big tobacco’s underhanded strategies and tactics. Interesting reading.

Dealing With an Avalanche of Media
10 practical crisis PR steps that helped a company survive a tsunami of tough media coverage.

Dealing with the aftermath of a crisis
Ain’t over even when the crisis is over. Harvey Leach suggests a post-crisis audit.

Defending Your Company’s Name: Reputation Management is a Strategic Imperative
Connie Lamotta looks at ways to defend your company’s reputation.

Developing Risk-Literate Communications Professionals
Do you know the difference between risk communications and crisis PR?  W

Did Ford Dealer Fumble Tornado Relief Effort?
Mixing marketing with disasters can be bad news.

Did Mel Gibson Pull a Tiger Woods and Make a Bad Situation Worse?
FOX News asks a key crisis communications question.

Disaster Averted: Six Examples of Top PR CrisisManagement
Good crisis PR POV.

Do Companies Need a Crisis PR Plan or Social Media Crisis Plan? (Part 1)
Good crisis management debate.

Do Something!
Four things can help you manage a crisis: act, protect, lead and plan writes Rick Amme.

Don’t Let Reporters Catch the Smoldering Crisis You Missed
Dan Hicks shows how Louisville officials missed the signs of a crisis and were unprepared for the firestorm that followed media revelations.

Don’t Overreact in a Crisis
Sometimes prudence can be an ally.

Don’t Screw Up the Apology 
How well you apologize is an important part of managing a crisis.

Doubling the Dilemma: National Pork Producers Council
Rich Becker considers the challenge of de-linking swine flu from pork in the marketplace and whether the NPPC may have created its own issue.   W

Drill, baby, drill (your crisis response, that is)
Shel Holtz says values count in a crisis.

Dumping Phelps Over Bong Rip Damages Kellogg’s Brand Reputation
Research showed Kellogg’s reputation took a hit after it dropped Michael Phelps. Surprising.

Editorial on Peanut Corp Nails It
Peanut Corp was wrong and its crimes offer a study in how companies and corrupt officials get what they deserve.

Emotional news framing affects public response to crises
How you “frame” the story and your response can be invaluable for crisis managers.

Ex-BP Boss Spills PR Secrets
Tony Hayward reflects on media challenges and lessons learned.

Facing a PR Crisis
Crisis planning tips and strategies include checklists too.

Fighting a PR Fire in China with Social Media
Forbes looks at the challenge of social media crisis management in China.

Fighting Back in PR Sometimes Works
If you are in the right, fighting back is sometimes a good strategy as these three case studies show.

Fighting Fiction With Facts
The ASPA fought rumors with facts in a useful lesson in crisis management.

First 48 Hours Checklist
CDC checklist shows how they respond in a crisis and it’s a useful guide for all.

First actions to take in a crisis
Here’s what to do first in a crisis according to Harvey Leach.

Five Crisis Communications Tips from 5WPR [Video 1:43]
Ronn Torosian offers five basic crisis management tips.

Five Social Media Crisis Communications Tips
Five great crisis PR tips from Bill Salvin.  W

Get Your Free Crisis Counseling! Step Right This Way!
Crisis PR new business lessons learned.

Gerard Braud – Employee Communications When It Hits the Fan – Mine Accident[Video 0:52]
Employees and the public need the facts, and to know it was truly an accident, or they will sell you out in a crisis Braud says.

Gerard Braud on Crisis Communications, Part IV [Video 2:27]
Operating in a crisis means preparation in advance and having tools that work, no matter the conditions.

Go Daddy’s War On Bloggers
Gee, let’s pour gas on a crisis. Brad Phillips highlights CEO’s inept and arrogant crisis response.

Goldman Sachs’ PR Blunders Continue
Is it PR or operations causing problems?

Hacker Response to Sony Breach Better Than Sony’s Response
Sony’s crisis response still wanting.

Handling a Crisis, JetBlue Style crisis PR
Useful crisis management lessons.

Handling a Fake Twitter Account: @BPGlobalPR Leaves Lasting Impression on Crisis Communications
PRSA article looks in-depth at the challenge of online crisis management.

Health Buzz: Apples Top ‘Dirty Dozen’ List
Apple producers face crisis challenge from activists.

How a PR Fiasco Inspired a Logo Redesign Contest
Greenpeace UK used marketing to attack BP.

How Chevron’s Campaign Got Spoofed
A look at how Chevron got overtaken by activists.

How Corporations Should Handle PR in Crises
A look at BP, Toyota and Goldman Sachs by SF Chronicle.

How Crisis PR Hasn’t Kept Up with the Turbulent Times
Is there a crisis in crisis PR? Seems so.

How the traditional media react to a crisis
Important to note how media react to a crisis and plan for it writes Harvey Leach.

How to Avoid a Battle of the Soundbites
Valuable crisis media relations tips from Rick Amme.

How to Easily Measure Crisis Communications Performance
Excellent crisis tip from Jonathan Bernstein.  W 

How to Handle the Worst Restaurant Review Ever
Respond aggressively or duck?

How to Lead When There’s No Good News
For starters: communicate, empathize, make some sacrifices and communicate more.

How to Run a Crisis PR Campaign
Forbes provides a brief, practical guide to managing a crisis.

How to Respond (and Not) to a Public Relations Incident
PCWorld looks at how several tech companies responded or failed in recent crises.

How to Survive a PR Nightmare
Just the crisis communications basics.

Hurricane Sandy: story forms 
How journalists were storytelling during Hurricane Sandy.

In Crisis Communications Trust Your Instincts
Maria Helm suggests five key questions you must answer during a crisis.

Insurance giant’s simple crisis plan is a template for brands
Perfect simple approach. W

Is a Twitter Parody Account the New Face of Crisis Management?
Crisis PR insight into phony Twitter accounts.

Is Latest Oil Rig Crisis Another PR Disaster?
Critical look at Mariner Energy oil rig crisis PR response.  W

Is PR a Cure-all in Every Major Crisis?
Not so much writes The PR Coach.

It’s an Inside Job – Internal Crisis Communications
Jonathan Bernstein explores the importance of internal communications in a crisis.  W

James Lukaszewski on Crisis Communication[Video 8:45]
Varied thoughts and insight into crisis communication from Lukaszewski.

Jerry Sandusky scandal has cost PSU $5.7 million
Cost of crisis management grows.

JP Morgan Chase-tized — by its own CEO who delivers bad news himself
Crisis PR lesson from inside impacts outside.

JP Morgan makes bloody big trading error, and the media sharks attack
Ins and outs of media critics.

Kentucky Fried Crisis
Poor research in choosing spokesperson creates crisis.

Keystone: How the Oil Industry Brought a Knife to a Gunfight
NGOs did their job well. The industry? Not so much. W

Lessons from the GoDaddy Customer Revolt
Useful reputation point of view from the Harvard Business Review as GoDaddy gets hit for SOPA support.

Letterman’s Admissions Called Adept PR
Washington Post looks at Letterman’s damage control efforts.

Mad Cow PR Campaigns
Interesting, critical point of view of US industry’s response to the BSE crisis from SourceWatch.

Making a Crisis Worse: The Biggest Mistakes in Crisis Communications
Jonathan Bernstein tells you 12 ways to make a crisis worse.   W

Making Choices: 10 Steps to Improve Oil Spill Communication
An excellent checklist for crisis communications based on the BP gulf oil spill by Rich Becker.  W 

Managing a Brand Crisis
Valuable advice for brands in a crisis.

McDonalds (Canada, anyway) gets transparency right
Fast food leader serves up transparency with proactive crisis management.

Media & Crisis Communications: The Role of the CEO
What role should the CEO play in a crisis? Aileen Pincus suggests five ways the CEO can play a central role.

Mind the Gap: PR When Things Go Bad
Watching how the Gap handles their logo controversy is an interesting study in crisis management.

Mine Explosion = Crisis Communication Lessons
The Sago Mine explosion and media maelstrom offer many valuable crisis lessons.   W

Miracle on the Hudson: Lightning Speed the Crisis Norm
News now travels at the speed of light. So must your crisis response.

Mountain Dews and Don’ts
A mouse in your Mountain Dew? Now that’s a PR crisis.

Nine Tips for PR Pros Working from Home During Sandy 
Handy in any crisis.

Non-apology Apology
What is a non-apology and when, if ever, should you use it?

Nonprofit Risk Management Center
NRMC has many articles and resources on risk management for nonprofits.

Oil Platform Fire a Disaster Mainly for PR
Is a crisis in crisis PR looming asks the Los Angeles Times?  W

PR 101 – Lesson 24 – Dealing With a Hostile Reporte and Hostile Media
Jeff Cole offers practical tips and contrasts several approaches on handling hostile media.

PR Crisis: What Makes a Brand Sink or Swim?
Five crisis PR lessons.

PR disasters averted: 7 cases of strong crisis management
Valuable crisis PR insight via Dorothy Crenshaw. W

PR Expert Upbeat on Woods’ Future [Video 2:15]
AP interview with PR “expert” Ryan Schinman shows how wrong he is on his assessment of Tiger’s crisis, sponsor reaction and is useful viewing that shows a lack of crisis management savvy.   W

PR Pros Advise PG&E to be Transparent
Critics go after handling of pipeline explosion. Excellent advice.  W

PR Pros Argue B of A Needs to Play WikiLeaks Defense
Crisis management view is offered by PR pros in handling possible WikiLeaks impact.  W

PR Specialist on Tiger’s Crash [Video 3:18]
CBS News ‘ Harry Smith interviews PR consultant Ken Sunshine on Tiger’s crisis and response.

PR Watch
The Center for Media and Democracy’s PR Watch keeps an eye on the propaganda and PR shenanigans of big business, big government and special interests.   W

Pandemic Crisis Communication Checklist
AON provides this helpful pandemic checklist aimed at communicating to employees.

Peanut Corp of America Knowingly Shipped Tainted Peanut Butter
The Consumerist shines a light on the negligence by Peanut Corp.

Penn State’s PR train wreck
Thoughtful crisis PR perspective.

Penn Tries to Erase Bad News
Poor crisis management by PSU.

Performing Public Relations During a Crisis
Learn how to “ratchet” down the pressure during a crisis from Michael Turney.

PG&E Crisis Response
Initial response to pipeline explosion falls way short.

Pink slime, be gone! How grocers avoided a PR crisis
Smart crisis PR response.

Pipelines, PR and reputational recovery crisis management
Dan Tisch shares four superb crisis PR lessons.

Playstation Customers Furious Over Delayed Response to Hack
Sony too slow in its crisis management.

Poisoning PR: Peanut Corporation of America
PCA proved negligent in business and in its communications. Rich Becker looks at other companies impacted and their responses.   W 

Praise for Connecticut State Police spokesperson 
PR lessons in CT crisis.

Progressive Insurance Case Study: How Not to Handle a PR Crisis
Excellent analysis.

Public Relations During Times of Crisis
Barbara Nixon’s slide presentation has useful crisis management tips.

Public Relations Learned the Hard Way
Six crisis management case studies from the biggest PR fails of the year.

R-R Pays Price of Silence
Interesting Rolls-Royce crisis PR case study.

Redefining “Crisis” for the Next Decade – 5 New Types
Valuable insight into five new types of future crises.

Rivals Go After Go Daddy
Outcome of GoDaddy elephant PR fail is a marketing push by competitors.

Rolls-Royce and BP Needed to Get Their Message Out – and Say Sorry
The lesson? Biggest firms aren’t much good at handling difficult public relations situations

Ruffling Feathers: Jeremiah Owyang
Rich Becker highlights media analyst Owyang’s use of Twitter to communicate about another company’s potential problems. Lots of lessons.   W

Sanford Leaves Constituents Cold
Embattled South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford gets back to state business, apologizing and speaking everywhere. Too much, too late?

Saying You’re Sorry To Save Your Social Media Hide
Three case studies worth reading.

School Crisis Guide
National Education Association provides many crisis resources for schools including crisis planning, crisis management and post-crisis strategies.

Senate Candidate Burned by Reporter’s Tweet
Tweet in mouth all over again.

Seven Rules To Remember When a Crisis Strikes
Excellent crisis advice from Brad Phillips.  W

Should You Really Communicate Immediately in a Crisis?
Not always. Sage advice from Brad Phillips.

Skittles Caught in an Unforgiving Spotlight
Kathy Scott looks at Skittles’ crisis management.

Social Media in Crisis Communication: Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Informative crisis PR case study.  W

Sometimes It’s Best to Shut Up in a Crisis
Rick Amme talks about two examples where less talk with the media would have been better in a crisis.

Sony’s Playstation Problem Goes from Worse to—Even More Worse
100 million hacked accounts and a poor crisis response.

SourceWatch
A directory of people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda. SourceWatch documents PR and propaganda activities and industry-funded experts and think tanks. Worth watching. W

Spin of the Day
PR Watch reports daily on public relations, propaganda and media spin. W

Spinning Salmomella: Peanut Corporation of America
No amount of spinning could save this company from criminal negligence blogs Rich Becker. Its efforts weren’t worth, well, peanuts.

Spirit Airlines and the Dangers of Neglecting User Experience
What’s the return on crisis PR?

Strategic Crisis Leadership: Being an Effective Leader in the Midst of Crisis
Bruce Blythe examines crisis leadership, planning, effective response and three scenarios worth considering. W

Study: Crisis management experience crucial for global chief communications officers
Exploring the challenge of global crisis management.

Surviving a PR Nightmare
Solid practical advice on managing a crisis.

Tackling the crisis before it happens
Be prepared before it hits the fan.

Taco Bell Fights Back With Transparency
Where’s the crisis PR beef when it’s well handled?

Taco Bell Uses Social Media to Ward Off PR Crisis
How Taco Bell dealt with consumer social media beefs.

Tell Your Story Confidently: What You Must Do Immediately When a Crisis Hits
Ten excellent tips for managing a communications crisis.   W

Ten Golden Rules of Crisis Communications [Video 2:31]
Humorous slide presentation with 10 solid crisis response tips.

Ten Tips to Surviving a Product Recall
Facing a product Recall? Steve Wilson’s ten tips are a useful guide.

Thanks for the Free Taco – Five Things Taco Bell Did Right
Crisis PR case study where Taco Bell served it right.

The 3-Option Approach to Crisis Management
Rick Amme’s simple but brilliant approach to crisis management? Say nothing. Say something. Say more. W

The 10-Point Guide to Effective Employee Communication During a Crisis
Ten tips from Oliver Schmidt to keep employee communications on track in a crisis.

The AP Falls for Bogus GE Press Release: Cleans Up Fast
Phony GE news release gets wide coverage and then retraction by AP.

 ‘The art of proactivity: Trust me now so you’ll trust me in a crisis’
Steve Bell highlights the importance of reaching out ahead of a crisis.

The Basics of Crisis Public Relations
Mary Fletcher Jones challenges five BusinessWeek crisis response tips.   W

The Biggest Corporate Image Catastrophes
They’re all here for your learning: BP, Goldman Sachs, Toyota, The Big Three (Ford, GM, Chrysler), JetBlue, Abercrombie & Fitch, Apple.  W

The Cost of Bad PR: Penn State Has Spent $3.2 Million on Scandal
Sobering look at the cost of crisis.

The Crisis in Crisis PR: Why the Dark Art is in Meltdown
Matthew DeBord wonders if crisis PR is still up to the job in this thoughtful article in The Big Money.  WW

The Gulf of Perception
Wayne Kurtzman looks at how media perception overcame reality in this excellent post.  WW

The Hard Lesson of Having Nothing to Say
In a crisis, you must say something and you must act quickly while you have a chance.

The High Cost of Reputation Loss
Review of top 2011 crises.

The Myths and Realities of Crisis Communications
A lively look at crisis myths and realities by Steve Wilson.

The Right Way to Do a Crisis Press Conference
Media training tips worth noting in this post and video clip.

The Speed of Crisis: 9.5 seconds
Useful crisis PR insight from Barb Jones. W

Think You’re Immune to a Crisis? Think Again
Many PR nightmares could have been avoided with quick response and the right message says Steve Wilson.

Those Crucial First Moments…
Media don’t expect everything right away. Just give them what you can and update when you’re able.

Tony Hayward on BP Oil Crisis: ‘I’d have done better with an acting degree’
BBC documentary with more Hayward misspeaks.

Tony Hayward Top Bloopers: Slide Show
Useful insight: six slides that say it all from The Street.  W

Top Management During a Crisis: Guidelines and a ‘Perfect Example’ of a Crisis Leader
Case study of WCU’s Chancellor Dr John Bardo and his crisis leadership during several campus fires.

Twitter in a crisis: 6 tips for a faster rescue
Interesting analysis of New Zealand earthquake.

Understanding Risk Communication to Avert a PR Crisis in Social
12 questions PR needs to ask to understand community outrage in risk communications.  W

Unhappy? P-d off? Mad as hell? There’s an app for that
Gerald Baron looks at Change.org and the challenge of online petitions.

Using Social Media in a Crisis [Video 2:41]
GM’s Chris Barger talks about social media to assist in managing a crisis.    W

Using Social Media to Protect Your Reputation
Here’s a really good social media case study on reputation management strategies.

We All Just Want Our Lives Back
BP CEO’s defining moment had big, negative impact.

Weber Shandwick’s David Krejci on Crisis and Social Media
Brands know they can’t control public reaction to snafus, nor can they ignore them or hope they’ll just fade away.

What an Internet Startup Can Teach the Corporate World About Crisis Communication
Paul Smith shares crisis storytelling tips.

What Can BP CEO Hayward’s Mistakes Teach Us?
Lots of crisis management lessons here.  W

What CEOs Should Learn from Former BP Chief’s Gaffes
A sort of CEO crisis gaffes guide from Business Daily.

What Not to Say When Your Company Is Ruining the World
BP official statements put the company offside almost immediately.

What Spiderman Teaches Executives in Crisis
Quick, smart crisis PR lessons.

What to Do When a Crisis Strikes
Steve Wilson offers valuable tips on exactly what to do in a crisis.

What to Do When Your Celebrity Client Flips Out on Social Media
Great question, solid answers.

What’s Your Most Dreaded Question?
And the answer is: How could you let this happen?   W

When Did You Learn About It: What Did You Do About It?
Just two key questions you’ll need to answer in a crisis.

When Should the CEO be the Spokesperson?
Rick Amme identifies when the CEO should and should not speak.

“Where’s The Beef” Taco Bell? Five Tips on Managing This Crisis
Crisis management tips – silence is not golden.

Who should speak for your company during a crisis?
The key question is who can connect best in a crisis?

Why Public PR Advice Should Be Taken with Dose of Skepticism
There’s a crisis in crisis punditry.

Whitewashing Oil Spills: Control the Crisis Not the Communication
Solid crisis PR advice from Rich Becker.

WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Wants to Spill Your Corporate Secrets
Are you ready to defend yourself from a WikiLeaks assault? Big business is next.  W

Photo credit: Brad Gillette via Flickr 

This crisis management resource is curated by Jeff Domansky. Follow him on Twitter @ThePRCoach or his Scoop.it curation site Public Relations & Social Media Insight.