4 tips to save the Red Cross from a reputational disaster

An investigative report from NPR and ProPublica has sent the aid organization scrambling to downplay its findings. Instead, the Red Cross should own up to mistakes and promise to correct them.

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The American Red Cross needs to be rescued from an escalating PR disaster.

Since a scathing investigative report dropped last week from NPR and ProPublica, Red Cross executives have been trying to downplay findings that it grossly mismanaged resources during Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Isaac. Red Cross even went to another non-profit news organization, PBS, to fight the allegations and de-emphasize the reporting.

Red Cross’ PR team also posted a blog on the matter, stating, “ProPublica and NPR have been hyping their sensationalized attack on the Red Cross response to Superstorm Sandy, in distortion-filled stories that are the result of months of reporting that sought only to find negative information.”

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