Case study from Liberman et al.

Chapter 2 – When Edward Burkhardt Spoke, the Crisis Worsened: The Dangers of Crisis Miscommunication (pp. 9-16).

Timothy Coombs is the developer of the well-known situational crisis communication theory as well as the author of this case that tells about a small town in Quebec, Canada that experienced a train derailment and fire, killing 47 people. The fire consumed 30 buildings in the downtown area, and the majority of the town’s residents were evacuated.

Earl Burkhardt was CEO at the time of the crash and was the voice during the crisis. His messaging demonstrated how crisis communication can make a crisis worse for an organization. Among a litany of errors, Burkhardt: a) didn’t visit the site for five days after the accident, b) waited 36 hours before offering a response, and c) made jokes about the personal financial loss he would incur as a result of the crisis.

Purpose:

The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential to your success in this course:

Anticipate public mental stresses and apply appropriate risk communication strategies.

Identify appropriate channels for communication tactics with internal and external stakeholders.

Interpret how media coverage during a crisis affects internal and external stakeholder groups.

Task:

Using Coombs’s situational crisis communication theory, and guided by question #3 on p. 15 from Liberman (What possible explanations could there be for why Burkhardt choose his particular crisis response? How do you think he might justify the response?):

Write a reflection paper on how the situational crisis communication theory is demonstrated within this case study. 

Do you agree or disagree that Burkhardt’s crisis response aligned with the situational crisis communication theory? Why or why not? Make sure to support your answer.