Crisis communication: Time, tone and communication, a relationship of variables

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between crisis communication, the length of time an organization's crisis is portrayed in the media and the tone of the resulting media coverage. Specifically this study considered the relationship between crisis communication and time and tone of coverage. The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill is considered an example of ineffective crisis communication according to the literature, and the 1982 Tylenol poisoning is considered an example of effective crisis communication. These two crises were used to compare demonstrated effective and ineffective crisis communication with the length of time a crisis is portrayed in the media and the resulting tone of coverage.;Through the use of quantitative methods, 406 newspaper articles from the New York Times and the Washington Post were examined and coded. The findings indicate that the ineffective crisis communication by Exxon was related to significantly more coverage than the Tylenol crisis and the resulting coverage was significantly more negative in tone for the Exxon oil spill. The findings suggest that there is a relationship between crisis communication, the length of time an organization's crisis is portrayed in the media and the tone of the resulting media coverage.