The purpose of this study is to discover and explain the influences of media coverage of organizational crises on crisis communication, and vice versa. The study also shows how mediated crises develop, and how media framing and news sources affect this development. Carried out as a case study of three Swedish mediated crises, the methods used are quantitative and qualitative content analysis of media content from four Swedish newspapers and four organizations' press releases from the studied crises. Mediated crises develop through their specific pattern regardless of, but not independent from, the organizations' crisis communication. The crisis communication is used as an elite source in media reporting from the crises, but it can not control the mediated crises. However, it influences framing, and the possibilities to influence media reporting are better in the pre-crisis phase and the culmination.

På senare år har det skett en förändring av medielandskapet. De traditionella medierna har fått konkurrens i form av de sociala medierna som snabbt har växt fram och börjat ta plats. Detta har även ställt nya krav på hur företag framställer och hanterar sin kriskommunikation i samband med kris. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka vilka faktorer som idag är av betydelse för svenska företag i kriskommunikation genom sociala medier. För att undersöka detta har vi genomfört en empirisk studie. Studien grundar sig dels i en teoretisk modell inom kriskommunikation samt ett antal påverkansfaktorer på kriskommunikation i sociala medier. Datainsamlingen har skett genom kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med experter inom krishantering och kriskommunikation. I studien framkom ett antal centrala faktorer som företag idag bör beakta vid kriskommunikation genom sociala medier. Dessa faktorer är ägarskap av egna kanaler och budskap, tidspress på kriskommunikation, en låg trovärdighet samt ett hätskt medielandskap. Genom att ha kännedom av faktorerna kan företag lyckas bättre med sin kriskommunikation genom sociala medier.

The growth of social media has set demands on organizations to be online and interact with stakeholders, especially during a crisis. The public are no longer seen as passive receivers of marketing messages. Previous studies have shown that the need for information increases during a crisis. Social media can be a powerful tool if is used strategically. This case study looks deeper into Oxfam’s 2018 Haiti sexual exploitation scandal, as an attempt to understand how organizations communicate on social media during a crisis. By co-applying multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA) and the social-mediated crisis communication (SMCC) model, a broader understanding of how the crisis was handled can be developed. The data consists of four Instagram posts that will be analyzed, drawing upon four multimodal frameworks from Machin (2017): Iconography: the ‘hidden meanings’ of images; The meaning of color in visual design; The meaning of typography; and Representation of social actors in images. In order to obtain a broader picture of the strategies, key public and relationships, the components of the SMCC model will be identified and presented for this case. The result of this study shows that multiple response strategies have been used to communicate both tailored messages and unified organizational messages. It is apparent that Oxfam did not have a clear strategy and altered between apologizing, “blaming” individuals within the organization and distancing themselves from the crisis.

Problem  Crisis management has never been as important as it is today. Considering that criticism is being spread in a fast pace through social media, the reputation of an organisation can quickly be damaged. Several organisations however lack internal knowledge about crisis management. The majority of the previous research about crisis management has been conducted from the organisations’ perspective. There is however relatively little research done from an external actor’s role in supporting an organisation in crisis. Purpose  This study aims to contribute in the crisis management and communication field by investigating how an external actor can support an organisation in crisis. Method  The study was conducted through a qualitative single case study of crisis management support provided to firms by one external actor, a PR-agency. Primary data for the case was collected from six semi-structured interviews. Conclusion  External actors are a suitable helping hand in crises because they possess experience and knowledge in media and crisis communication and can view the situation objectively. Crisis consultants support their clients by providing a response strategy that is built on being honest and open. Proactive and post work are not prioritised by clients but are highly important for crisis preparedness and building a strong reputation. Social media is a standard part of today’s crisis communication but is also a demanding channel that creates incentives for hiring external support.