The one piece of news that Democrats and Republicans can agree on: it was a miracle that no one died or was seriously hurt in the crash of U.S. Airways Flight 1549, and the pilot, Chesley B. Sullenberger III, is a hero.
There is a metaphor in all of this, since this miraculous and sudden event overshadowed President Bush’s farewell remarks to the nation. Of course, the bent of that metaphor depends on who you voted for in the past eight years.
But how was the public relations reaction from U.S. Airways CEO Doug Parker after he learned that his company’s flight crew helped divert the worst disaster possible?
It was quick, wooden and lacked emotion, PR pro Tripp Frohlichstein wrote in an opinion piece for today’s Ragan.com.
“Never once did he express any relief that all the passengers lived through the ordeal. That should have been his very first order of business,” Frohlichstein wrote. “Instead, it appears as if his PR people simply followed guidelines to the letter, not adapting to the situation.”
Here is video of Parker’s statement to the press. Too wooden? You be the judge.
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Comments (3)
It wasn't a CRASH, it was an unplanned (and skillfully executed) landing, which may go some way to explaining why people didn't die. Where's an editor when you (and media) need one?
Posted by Susan Fitzgerald | January 19, 2009 1:43 PM
Posted on January 19, 2009 13:43
I agree that he lacked camera training & did not appear to be conveying compassion. However, the image of U.S. Airways has not been permanently scarred. The fact that everyone lived helped this, but I think that the angle of the coverage from all media sources was a big part. And, hopefully the U.S. Airways PR team had something to do with that.
Posted by Tammy Homan | January 19, 2009 9:51 AM
Posted on January 19, 2009 09:51
Although what CEO Doug Parker said was on message and appropriate, it was how he said it that bears noting. Crisis situations are difficult at best, but more crisis communications on camera training likely would have helped him appear more human. Conveying true compassion for the impacted families would have gone a long way to restore confidence and emphasizing the stellar skills of the pilot would have been a plus. Also, in the spirit of transparency, allowing a few questions from reporters would have appeared more responsive.
Posted by Judy Iannaccone | January 16, 2009 12:39 PM
Posted on January 16, 2009 12:39