Professional Communication: Reactive and Proactive Responses

Professional Communication
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Professional Communication
Abstract
How a company responds to a crisis speaks to its character and culture. When a company takes the reactive approach, the chances are that people will be rubbed the wrong way, and the damage to its reputation and possibly its stock prices will dip. However, when a company takes a proactive approach and decides to act on the problem at hand instead of reacting to the symptoms of the problem, it is likely to emerge stronger and appear more trustworthy. Facebook has had its fair share of crises and challenges that have threatened to destroy the company. However, the social media giant has been able to weather the storm and emerge even stronger. For example, when the Cambridge Analytica scandal was revealed, the company moved fast to make changes and protect its users’ data. This was taken positively by all stakeholders. But, the company has also had its fair share of bad reactions and approaches. For example, when it was accused of being a conduit through which people spread fake news and an indirect influencer in the election period, its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, came out guns blazing. In doing so, he ruined the company’s reputation and made things much worse. His actions were a direct depiction of how not to react while in a crisis. For a big company like Facebook, every reaction has a consequence, and some could be dire. Therefore, it is crucial to have a PR team that helps to deal with such incidents.
Press Release Statement: Reactive Response
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says its “A Pretty Crazy Idea” to think the Social Network Giant is Responsible for the Spread of Fake News
Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, rubbished claims that Facebook is responsible for spreading fake news during the election period. During the 2016 U.S. elections, the country saw an upsurge of fake news and reports propagated through social media platforms. However, Zuckerberg does not believe that the social media platforms, Facebook included, play any role in influencing the voting process.
As one of the most popular social media platforms, Facebook is indeed a perfect option for spreading fake news. As Gramlich (2021) reports, 69% of U.S. adults use Facebook today. This means that Facebook is a fertile ground for fake news propagators. Furthermore, the election period is a perfect time...