1. Navigating a Crisis in a 24/7 Digital AgePresented by C&J LinesPortsmouth, New HampshireMay 23, 2013Peter KnudsonPublic Affairs OfficerNational Transportation Safety BoardDan RonanSenior Director of Communications, Media and MarketingAmerican Bus Association

2. Effective CrisisCommunicationsAlways be prepared! 3. Theres Been an Incident What Are Your Priorities? Your passengers and their families. Law enforcement and crash-scene investigators Your employees The insurance companies The news media 4. Most Companies Are NotPrepared for the Media In This 24/7 World, News Travels Fast In most midsize cities, news of an accident willbe on Twitter and Facebook within minutes. Pictures and video will be available to themedia from smartphones, wellbefore news crews arrive. For video, smartphones are thenew first line of coverage. 5. Smartphone Video Smartphones are Everywherehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV_ablvzBrY 6. Most Companies Are NotPrepared for the Media The Media and Reporters are Not Your Friends They are to be respected because of theirpotential impact on a story. Most reporters are good people, trying to getanswers. They are not specialists on themotorcoach, travel and tourism industry. Reporters pursuing a story can sometimes beaggressive. 7. If Theres an Accident Reporters Will Cover the Story Its their job. They have the right to ask questions and beaggressive. We cant make the accident go away. We will be professional, truthful and honest. Its ABAs job to assist you and help you protectyour companys reputation as best as possiblein the community and in the media. 8. If Youre a Tour Operator,Are You Prepared?Mystery: Why Did Student Die on Tour to L.A.?Fellow Students Said Victim Was Running Fever,but Cause of Death Unknown 9. Branson Tornado 2012One of the miracles of the Branson tornado Branson is open for business 10. Hurricane Sandy ABA responded helping hotels, tour operators,destinations, and motorcoach companies. Member Alerts can be customized for aparticular audience in ABAs database. ABA Member Alerts are fast. 11. No CommentDoesnt Work It looks like youre hiding something. Putting a tarp over your name doesnt makethe accident go away . 12. There Are Many MediaOutlets and lawyers You cant run from the media or the legalsystem The truth will always get out, either in themedia, a deposition or in court. The media faces competitive pressures and canbe unrelenting, especially if it suspectswrongdoing. Injury lawyers are always ready to pounce . Dont do this alone. 13. The Medias ImpactIn a digital world, stories never go away.No longer just the local paper, radio, 6 and 10pnews . A New York accident, July 2011, 7,520 results A Montana accident, Jan. 2012, 16,320 A Iowa accident, Oct. 2011, 179,000 A New York accident, Aug. 2011 1.9 million A New Orleans accident, last week, 1.53 million 14. Facebook and Twitter Both are Very Big News Providers Twitter : 500 million accounts worldwide Facebook: 130 million users in just the U.S. Every news organization uses Twitter andFacebook for pictures and video First pictures from Aurora, Colorado Theatreshooting US Airways Miracle on the Hudson 2011 Alabama Tornado, Pulitzer Prize Winner 15. Injury LawyersUnderstand PR 16. Buying Placement onGoogle 17. How ABA Helps YouProtect Your Company Virginia Companys Reputation Management the crash involved a bus company with a gooddriving record was in the top 25 percent of companies that wereinspected over the last two years the veteran driver, 52, has been a professional for12 years and has a good safety record there is no indication the driver was tired, it looksas though there was just an unfortunate accident onthe Turnpike" 18. What ABA Does for You How We Do It Act as your companys spokesman. Advise and consult with you and yourinsurance company in preparing writtenstatements to the media and forming a mediaplan. Assist your company by providing accurateinformation to balance any inaccurate reportingmade by the media. 19. ABA Assists as You ProtectYour Reputation It takes twenty years to build a reputationand five minutes to ruin it. If you think aboutthat, youll do things differently.Warren Buffett A reputation once broken may possibly berepaired, but the world will always keep theireyes on the spot where the crack was.Rev. Joseph Hall, 1574-1656 20. Six Steps for EffectiveCrisis Communications Protect Your Reputation Be assertive and react quickly Get the facts straight Be Honest and Concise Full transparency with ABA and reporters is key Reporters will do their homework and we dont want tobe blindsided by some troubling fact they may uncover The media will ask detailed questions about the driver ABA needs your employees background information Bottom Line: Help us help you. Reporters are likely to findany troubling information that may harm your company.So tell us everything upfront so we are prepared. 21. Six Steps for EffectiveCrisis Communications Show Empathy Acknowledge the tragedy. Stonewalling doesnt work. As soon as the accident occurred, you were going to besued. Attorneys and others will look for any statement thatlooks like an admission of guilt, so be careful choosingyour words. Express sorrow and compassion in a proactive waywithout admitting guilt. Have a Plan Spend time as a management team beginning now todevelop a crisis plan, a business continuity plan. NTSB Family Assistance Program. 22. Six Steps for EffectiveCrisis Communications Do Not Let Your Driver Speak to the Media The driver is a principal figure in the crash andthe investigation; DO NOT allow them totalk with reporters, thats NOTtheir job. If he or she is uninjured, the drivers role is tohelp the passengers, be your eyes and ears atthe scene until company representatives arrive,and cooperate with authorities. 23. Six Steps for EffectiveCrisis Communications Rely on ABA! After a crash, you will likely be too busy to dealwith reporters on deadline. We have over 30 years of media experience. Let us take the media off your plate. 24. Call Me AnytimeDan RonanSenior Director,Communications and Mediadronan@buses.org(202) 218-7220 (office)(469) 583-7070 (cell) 25. Let ABA Work With theMedia Expert on transportation issues 8 Emmys, Oklahoma City bombing 2 Edward R. Murrow Awards, Shuttle Explosion Advanced Airplane Accident Investigator ERAU (2004) Commercial pilot, 1000 hours Thousands of hours covering transportationissues as a reporter AAA/Texas, 3 years, ABA/Washington, 2 years 26. Let ABA Work With theMedia 30+ years of media experience 27. NTSB Family AssistanceProgramTransportation Disaster Assistance Paul Sledzik202-314-6185paul.sledzik@ntsb.govntsb.gov/family Max Green202-314-6611max.green@ntsb.gov