In an era of always-on digital communications and the ability to instantly share information, opinion and “fake news," organizations of all stripes need to rethink how they prepare for a reputational crisis.
Six Ways to Prepare for a Crisis Before it Hits
Fri., Jan. 20, 2017
By Jacqueline Kolek
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Main Category: Crisis Communications
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More Crisis Communications posts from O'Dwyer's:
| • | OpenAI Scores Legal Victory Over MuskMon., May 18, 2026 |
| • | The Deepfake Era Has Arrived and PR Is the Front LineMon., May 11, 2026 |
| • | How to Prepare for a Crisis Before It HappensFri., Apr. 3, 2026 |
| • | Should JFK Jr. Have Used Crisis PR?Fri., Mar. 27, 2026 |
| • | Your Crisis Plan Won't Save You. Your Judgement Will.Fri., Mar. 20, 2026 |

Sam Singer, the Bay Area’s go-to crisis PR guy, today celebrated his client OpenAI’s “tremendous victory” over Elon Musk.
Deepfakes have crossed a critical threshold from an emerging concern to an effective tool, where any public figure is now a target for AI-enabled reputational manipulation. Here’s what PR pros need to know.
If you’re like a lot of people, you have been obsessed with “Love Story,” the FX series that has been airing for the past eight weeks about JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. But why didn’t Kennedy use crisis PR to deal with the paparazzi, the news media and the tabloids?
Much is made of the importance of proper planning to anticipate and manage a crisis—but what matters most is understanding how decisions will be made once the crisis is underway.



