This Just In---Managing Corporate Crises in an Electronic Age  

Shortly after Martha Stewart was accused by the government of lying to cover up her sale of Imclone stocks, she set up a web site www.marthatalks.com to tell her side of the story Firestone/Bridgestone and Ford took the same step in the wake of their crisis. These corporations and many others use their web sites to tell their own side of the story in a climate where competing news outlets in their rush to be the first to break a story, may sacrifice accuracy. In this paper, we examine the Internet, both as a crisis “activator” as well as an effective tool in crisis management and communication. We use relevant case studies to support the assertion that if used properly, the Internet can be an effective and proactive crisis communication tool.

George, Amiso M. and Matthew Friedman. Association for Business Communication (2004). Articles>Web Design>Business Communication>Civic