Crisis Management: How Rules Have Changed With Advent of New Media

In 2002, criminal charges were brought against five Roman Catholic priests in and around Boston. This spark brought to light thousands of cases of sexual abuse across the nation and around the world. Amidst cover-ups, resignations and countless victims of the tragedy, many were having a crisis of faith.

As a PR professional, how would you handle this crisis?

There's an interesting panel in Boston with Director of PR & Corporate Affairs for the American Red Cross (NE Division) Donna Morrissey, who will share her experiences in managing communications during the Boston Archdiocese scandal.

Prior to the American Red Cross, she served as Cabinet Secretary for PR and Communications and Chief Spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

Other input will come from Captain Vic Beck, US Navy, Chief of Media Operations for the Multi-National Force in Iraq and Thomas Lee, Partner & Director of Public Relations, 451 Marketing at Managing PR in a Crisis.

They'll cover how to prepare for a crisis, key tools and techniques to manage a crisis, rules of media engagement during a crisis, how and when to respond to negative exposure, leveraging new media for damage control and how dealing with a crisis situation has changed due to the advent of online news, blogs, & social media

If on the east coast, it will be held on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at the Exchange Conference Center in Boston.