Saturday, March 19, 2011

World Wide Travel's Press Release


This week a tour bus, in New York City, crashed into two poles on I-95 killing 14 people. The New York news speculated if the driver fell asleep at the wheel or if they were hit. The driver surprisingly survived and said that the bus clipped a tractor-trailer, sending it sideways into two signs on the highway. This account is still being investigated. Since the accident, the bus company World Wide Travel, has been scrutinized and investigated as well. The media has found that they have had accidents in the past couple of years.

Immediately, World Wide Travel sent out a press release. An article called “Seven Rules to Remember When A Crisis Strikes” in the PR Daily discussed seven things you should always remember. World Wide Travel hit four of those rules. The first rule, which says you should discuss the victims, was done well. World Wide Travel made sure that they sent their condolences to the victim’s families. The rule I thought they followed best, and one that we’ve discussed in class, is how timely they sent it out. We’ve been taught to send out the release as soon as possible and World Wide Travel sent theirs out within hours.

The last two rules, that they followed, have also been discussed in class. The third rule is to make sure your company responds first and becomes the primary contact before others. This helps control rumors and accusations. The last rule is saying “not comment” is like saying your guilty. Professor Bufkins has talked about this subject continuously. When companies don’t say anything, it sounds like they are trying to cover up their guilty actions. World Wide Travel did a great job by communicating and showing that they cared.

It was a tragedy what happened and it will be curious to see what happens with the investigation. Until then, World Wide Travel has done a great job communicating to the public and attempting to control the crisis.

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