Tailored from the brand new guide, Strategic Disaster Communication, by James S. O’Rourke, IV and Jeffrey A. Smith, with a Foreword by Richard Edelman, revealed in June 2023 by Routledge, Abingdon, Oxford, a Taylor & Francis Group imprint. © James S. O’Rourke, IV and Jeffrey A. Smith.

When a disaster first emerges inside a company, for instance when a product defect is recognized internally, or an government displays dangerous conduct, or environmental harm happens resembling a spill or chemical launch, the group faces an necessary selection. Ought to it say and do nothing publicly and hope it blows over, or ought to it proactively disclose the difficulty to the information media? Usually, organizations are hesitant to take the proactive strategy for worry of frightening unfavorable media protection and undesirable consideration from stakeholders that would have been prevented had the difficulty by no means been made public. Why disclose an issue if there’s a good probability nobody will ever find out about it? 1

However what if somebody does discover out? The BP oil spill in 2010 was not revealed by the corporate till it had turn into a full-blown catastrophe. Volkswagen management was alerted to its emissions dishonest a 12 months earlier than it was uncovered by the U.S. Environmental Safety Company and the California Sources Board. In each circumstances, the businesses confronted enormous and long-lasting waves of unfavorable publicity and public and governmental outrage, not solely due to the environmental impression of their actions, but in addition for failing to come back ahead in a well timed method with the reality. 2

A communicator’s job of convincing the C-suite to take a proactive and clear strategy to disclosing a serious drawback earlier than the media or another person discovers it could be a really difficult dialog. However it’s one which should be had, and necessary analysis backs up the argument for self-disclosure. One would possibly begin the C-suite dialogue with the primary Web page Precept, rooted in moral conduct, to “Inform the Reality.” 3 The choice of self-disclosing a disaster can also be supported by many extra causes past a fundamental moral crucial to do the correct factor.

The speculation behind self-disclosure entails the idea of “stealing thunder.” In different phrases, a company preemptively discloses main issues or crises earlier than the information media turn into conscious of them. Stealing thunder means breaking the information earlier than the media have an opportunity to take action. It means taking away (stealing) the media’s component of shock (thunder) by intercepting and considerably neutralizing the provocative “gotcha,” attraction of a breaking investigative story.

This strategy has a number of benefits. Essential and compelling analysis on the stealing thunder idea reveals 4 robust causes for a company to self-disclose earlier than a disaster unfolds.

• First, the analysis exhibits that organizational spokespersons who steal thunder and self-disclose are discovered to have extra credibility than those that don’t. 4 Huge benefit, as a result of transparency might be perceived and interpreted as honesty.

• Second, if an organization self-discloses dangerous information, the resultant crises can seem much less critical or extreme. 5 If the disaster seems to be no large deal as a result of the group was forthcoming about it, it’s much less attention-grabbing.

• Third, organizations that steal thunder from the media by revealing unfavorable and probably damaging information could seem extra reliable and shoppers are extra liable to proceed shopping for their merchandise. 6 On this respect, openness is a advantage and clients might be extra forgiving due to it.

• Fourth, one latest research finds that customers of reports will sense that the dangerous publicity generated about a company that stole thunder is definitely “previous information,” and might be extra prone to disregard it. 7 If the group was clear sufficient to supply up the knowledge, perhaps it’s not so dangerous, and it’s already been lined by the media, so why do I have to care about it?

Any diploma of message management in anyway in a disaster is troublesome sufficient to realize. Each legacy media and social media are extra complicated and multi-faceted than they as soon as have been, and the alternatives for data to be leaked or divulged in an uncontrolled method, towards a company’s needs, are limitless. Stealing the thunder from all this potential noise is a tactic that will mute possible antagonists each from throughout the group and with out, by beating them to the beginning line. A company that will get the information out first, even whether it is disagreeable information, is in a a lot stronger place than one providing a back-footed response to an surprising headline in a Wall Avenue Journal exposé.

Concealing a serious disaster within the hopes that nobody will discover it could be a tempting possibility. Don’t do it. Strong analysis backs up the notion that such a selection is each dangerous and ill-advised. The BP and Volkswagen circumstances are clear proof that hiding a foul state of affairs solely makes issues worse as soon as the reality involves gentle. Stealing thunder can scale back the quantity of consideration paid by the general public and restrict harm to the group’s backside line, fame, and picture. 8 Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger captured the essence of stealing thunder when he mentioned, “Any indisputable fact that must be disclosed ought to be put out now or as shortly as potential, as a result of in any other case the bleeding won’t finish.” 9

References

1 Claeys, A.; Cauberghe.; V., Pandelaere, M. “Firms Fare Worse When the Press Exposes Their Issues Earlier than They Do.” Harvard Enterprise Assessment. August 22, 2016. Retrieved on-line July 31, 2022.

2 Ibid.

3 Arthur W. Web page Society. “The Web page Ideas; Seven Confirmed Ideas that Information Our Actions & Conduct.” Retrieved on-line July 31, 2022:

4 Arpan, L.; Pompper, D. “Stormy climate: testing ‘stealing thunder’ as a disaster communication technique to enhance communication stream between organizations and journalists.” Public Relations Assessment. Quantity 29, Situation 3. September 2003. Retrieved on-line July 31, 2022:

5 Arpan, L.; Roskos-Ewoldson, D. “Stealing thunder: Evaluation of the consequences of proactive disclosure of disaster data.” Public Relations Assessment. Quantity 31, Situation 3. September, 2005. Retrieved on-line July 31, 2022:

6 Fennis, B.; Stroebe, W. “Softening the Blow: Firm Self-Disclosure of Damaging Data Lessens Damaging Results on Client Judgment and Determination Making.” Journal of Enterprise Ethics. February 14, 2013. Retrieved on-line July 31, 2022:

7 Claeys, A.; Cauberghe,V.; Pandelaere, M. op. cit.

8 Ibid.

9 Kissinger, H. Brainy Quote. 2022. Retrieved on-line September 23, 2022: