There’s been a lot of discussion about what FEMA did wrong with its “fake” news conference. And rightly so. However, there should also be some discussion about what DHS did right in handling the fallout. The Department’s senior press team immediately condemned the rigged news conference and didn’t try to make up excuses. The Secretary himself did the same, and then sent his own press secretary to FEMA to investigate what happened and to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. You’ve got two excellent case studies in crisis communications: one in what not to do, and the other in what you should do. Meanwhile, some members of Congress want to hold hearings. Hearings — really? Maybe Congress should focus on its own job and get some appropriations bills passed.
