Twitter or Talk When Your Organization is on the Front Page?: the Importance of Speed and Social Media in Modern Crisis Communication

Abstract: The aim of the study was to analyze how the new media landscape, with new communication channels and increased demand for speed, could affect modern crisis communication. We chose a multiple-case research design with three cases; the operational difficulties for SJ in mid-February 2010, the Tsunami in December 2004, and Hallandsås in October 1997. We applied a triangulating approach with three different types of sources; interviews with practitioners from PR-firms, SJ and Banverket; secondary data from newspapers and the Internet, and governmental reports. We found there was a mismatch between the different communication channels used by SJ during the crisis in mid- February 2010. This could indicate the new media landscape makes it more difficult to synchronize external communication across the communication channels. We suggest the managerial question of how to prepare for crisis, while sustaining the organization’s long term profitability, needs to be re-evaluated.