Crisis Communications: The Definitive Guide to Managing the Message

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Apologies: Shakespeare—Still Right After All These Years

To apologize or not to apologize … that is a question?

When you do something wrong or you accidentally hurt someone, you say you’re sorry. Didn’t your mother teach you that? Why, then, does it seem that companies are reluctant to do the same when their crisis causes injuries, damages, or pain?

First, I think things are improving. It seems that more companies today understand the importance of demonstrating compassion to the public during times of crisis, and for that I applaud them. But typically, in my experience, well-meaning attorneys sometimes throw up roadblocks that prevent a company from saying, “We’re sorry” or expressing any degree of remorse.

We touched on this briefly earlier, ...