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| Path: Main Street : NewsWeek : Archive : Cover Stories : Article |
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Response to Charityvillage.com’s Cover Story of January 22, 2007:
When bad press happens to good people
Tips for survival and recovery
By Andy Levy-AjzenkopfI am writing to comment on the Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf article regarding crisis communications that appeared recently as a cover story on your website.
Mr. Levy-Ajzenkopf addresses an important topic for any organization and offers readers practical tips for crisis communications. However, as the organizational case study discussed in the story, the Canadian Red Cross would like to respond.
One might be left with the impression that Canadian Red Cross ceased to exist following the transfer of the blood program to Canadian Blood Services. Nothing could be further from the truth. Following a proud history of more than 50 years of saving lives in Canada, the Red Cross transferred its blood operations to Canadian Blood Services (CBS) in 1998. Since that time, Canadian Red Cross has been focussing on its many humanitarian programs including: disaster preparedness and response, swimming and water safety, first aid training, programs to prevent child abuse and neglect, and many more services that help keep Canadians safe.
In the article, Mr. Levy-Ajzenkopf offers links to the Krever Inquiry and to Canadian Blood Services, but not to Canadian Red Cross. Nor does he have Red Cross comment in the article.
Canadian Red Cross takes no issue with CBS, but rather with Mr. Levy-Ajzenkopf’s editorializing. One paragraph reads: “As a result of these practices, Canadian Blood Services has indeed effectively reassured the Canadian public that their blood supply is now in safer hands than it was, and put media attention of blood scandals behind them.” What is Mr. Levy-Ajzenkopf basing this on? Opinion polling? Focus tests? Or simply his personal opinion?
We invite your readers to learn more about Canadian Red Cross and its programs. From a media relations perspective, the Canadian Red Cross has - for decades - upheld all of the principles for crisis communications as outlined in the article. Truly, sometimes bad press happens to good people, and even solid media plans can’t change that.
Steven Morris,
National Director, Public Affairs
Canadian Red Cross
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