News: Big Ideas

Crisis Planning gone awry: what should've happened at Penn State

Difficult lessons in managing messages during emergencies.

I have a confession to make: I am a graduate of Penn State University. And today, I am writing about something I never thought possible. It's about the implosion of a storied higher education brand—and what should have been done to prevent it.

For those of us who care deeply about Penn State, this past week was mind numbing. I believe I heard the word 'surreal' used by my fellow Penn Staters dozens of times, trying to explain what happened in Happy Valley over the last eight days. For those of you who couldn't care less about PSU, perhaps because you went to a rival university, or simply have zero vested interest, I want to bring some perspective about the situation in this posting.

First, I want to state clearly that I am deeply saddened by the shocking revelations about the sexual abuse allegations to the young victims. There are few more horrific crimes than that. But this is a media blog, and I do believe this is a story of failed communication opportunities, and continued mis-steps on the part of so many people involved. And much of the finger-pointing, media fanning the flames, and irrational accusations could have been avoided.

How? Pretty simple: if there was a crisis communication plan in place.

Look, the grand jury testimony took place at least 18 months ago. Paterno, Graham Spanier (university president), and other senior-level administrators were subpoenaed long in advance of last week's breaking news. Which gave university officials more than enough time to prepare for a media hailstorm. Yet, when the news broke, there clearly was none. And the administrators even had to scramble to hire a PR firm to handle the crisis communication—AFTER the s*#@ hit the fan. I mean, c'mon folks. This is Reputation Management 101. No plan in place? No PR agency on standby? And the result was that no one was in charge of Penn State's message. Because everyone was: the media.Students. Alumni. Joe Paterno. Graham Spanier.The public. Social media platforms were lit up. And rumors swirled for days, whipping America into an angry and judgmental frenzy. That's what happens when there is no spokesperson.

When the message is out of control, and the public's anger is white hot, high-profile people become the targets. Sometimes unfairly. Take Joe Paterno. I believe that the coach should have done more by reporting the abuse to the police. He has said so himself. But we don't know what he knows about what happened. And yet, he was painted as a criminal, and fired in a very sloppy, public manner. Joe is not a criminal; Jerry Sandusky is. Joe is simply guilty of not doing more. Paterno is a man who has done so much good, for so many kids, students, athletes, and charities over six decades, that his 'brand' was overlooked while he was publicly tarred and feathered. Had a good crisis plan been prepared in advance, I am certain events and irrational decisions made this part week would not have carried as much regret as they now do.

Managing a crisis effectively does not make the guilty innocent. And it doesn’t make the news less sad. It just allows people to receive well-thought-out messages, in a timely manner, via the right channels. So that the public can absorb the news in an intelligent, rational environment. And good people don't get swept up in a tsunami of emotions.

Finally, after a week of irrefutable harm to the Penn State brand, the interim president Rodney Erickson, led with a plan of how to restore pride and integrity to the university. It's a start.

So what's next for my alma mater? I believe they will recover, but it will take time. And a good brand communications plan.