COMM 230 Discussions consist of two parts. Part 1 is your initial post, due Tuesday at 11 PM. Part 2 is your response to classmates, due Friday at 11 PM. You must post your initial post in order to view and respond to any classmate's posts.

What constitutes a crisis? According to one definition, a crisis is "an issue or event that creates unplanned visibility for the organization and causes communication requirements to exceed the routine."

The above quote perfectly summarizes the crisis scenario you will tackle for this week's discussion. Start by locating a news article describing a recent crisis faced by an organization. Post the link to the news article. Next, assume that you are the company's public relations spokesperson.

Consider these prompts and questions. Then, post your initial thoughts by Tuesday at 11 PM.

Part 1: Initial Post

1. What kind of message you would develop for media?
2. How would you respond to community criticism and negative media coverage?
3. How would you attempt to restore the credibility of your organization and its brand?
4. Finding the answers may require some additional background research on the issue. Draw upon the crisis communication principles you have learned this week and refer them in your post.

here is an example my teacher gave

Article: https://medium.com/@thecolleycoates/nike-responds-to-zion-williams-shoe-blowout-9391578a78c1Links to an external site.

Back in 2019, Nike and college basketball phenom Zion Williamson found themselves in uncomfortable situations for very different reasons. Williamson was the 'it" guy in college basketball; highlighted as a generational talent that would be the next Kobe Bryant or LeBron James when he made his inevitable transition to the NBA. With Nike as the sponsor of Williamson's college basketball team (Duke), Zion was wearing the brand when he played a nationally televised game against the schools biggest rival, the University of North Carolina. Just 33 seconds into the contest, Williamson's shoe suffered a "blowout" (the sole of his shoe literally detached from the rest of it) and he collapsed to the ground. With a sprained knee, he would not return for the remainder of the game. And the culprit, a very televised defective shoe, was the butt of all jokes almost immediately.

If I was a PR person for Nike, I would immediately focus on the health/safety of the player and show the utmost concern for him. Aside from that, i would ask the public consider the track record of the brand and reserve judgment while we gathered all the information we could about how this could have taken place. I would promise only one thing: honesty, and remind people that accountability and transparency are only possible after thorough investigation and understanding. I'd respond to negative media coverage and community criticism head on. When something like this is the biggest story (at the time) and literally took place on national television, there is no avoiding it. I'd want to restore the credibility of my organization by first ensuring that we took care of the person who was harmed most in all of this, Zion Williamson, first. Then I'd be as transparent as possible about what happened and the lengths the company was going to in order to make sure it never happened again.