Many PR crises occur because of surprise happenings -- like an industrial malfunction, unexpected criticism of a new corporate policy, a whistle blower’s revelations or poor use of social media.

Some reputational ordeals are self-inflicted. Others are caused by government leaders who see things as they wish them to be instead of as they really are.

The PR bottom line: despite the best efforts of specialists only the media can decide when a crisis is no longer newsworthy.

Here are the top 10 bloopers of 2014.

Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, hit the PR crisis trifecta causing a crisis for himself and the NFL by his lenient punishment of players and a team owner, highlighted by revelations of spousal and child abuse by players, and holding a press conference without any new news to report.

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, said employers would eventually reward women who do not ask for a salary increase. The venue for the statement could not have been worse: a meeting held to celebrate women in the computer industry.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the cardiothoracic surgeon and host of TV’s The Oz Show, was questioned by a Congressional committee for promoting products on his program that he says can result in weight loss, even though they are not scientifically proven. On another issue, about food safety, he was criticized by a scientific group for introducing a guest on his program as a scientist who did not have a degree in science.

John Grisham, the best-selling author, said in an interview with England’s Telegraph that some people jailed for child pornography viewing receive too harsh jail sentences because they would never touch a child.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman, the NBC-TV medical reporter, said she would put herself under voluntary quarantine after returning from covering the Ebola outbreak. But she went back on her on-air statement and was seen in a car double parked near a restaurant.

Sony Pictures Entertainment received negative major media coverage when hacked emails, which included unflattering comments about President Obama and Angelina Jolie, were made public. Sony then threatened legal action against media outlets reporting on the emails.

SeaWorld, which bills itself as a marine-life zoological park, has failed to deal with the fall-out connected to the late 2013 "Blackfish" documentary on CNN. The saga has crimped park attendance and triggered the ouster of SeaWorld's CEO in December.

Graco Children’s Products said it would recall faulty buckles on 3.8 million car seats because in an emergency it might make it hard to open the buckles. This did not satisfy the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that said unless an additional 1.8 million seat buckles were fixed it would take legal action against the company.

General Motors waited until 2014 to deal with a faulty switch problem that the automaker knew about since 2001. The delay resulted in deaths and waves of negative publicity.

Walmart’s Halloween promotion was anything but a treat for the retailer when it labeled some plus-size offerings "Fat Girl Costumes."

Good luck to this year's honorees. Here's to a quieter 2015!

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Arthur Solomon, a former senior VP at Burson-Marsteller, contributes to PR and sports business publications, consults on communications projects and serves on the Seoul Peace Prize nominating committee. He can be reached at [email protected].