CPRS Crisis Management & Reputation Control 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which term describes online reputation attacks designed to overwhelm an organization with coordinated negative content?
- Brand flooding
- Astroturfing
- Reputational flooding
- Coordinated inauthentic behavior (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Coordinated inauthentic behavior
Coordinated inauthentic behavior refers to organized campaigns using fake accounts or bots to artificially amplify negative narratives against an organization.
Question 2: A nonprofit faces accusations of misusing donor funds. Which response strategy is MOST appropriate initially?
- Immediately announce leadership changes
- Acknowledge the concerns, commit to an independent audit, and suspend fundraising pending review (Correct answer)
- Issue a blanket denial and threaten defamation suits
- Redirect media questions to the board chair and make no public statement
Correct answer: Acknowledge the concerns, commit to an independent audit, and suspend fundraising pending review
Acknowledging concerns and commissioning an independent audit demonstrates transparency and accountability without prejudging the outcome.
Question 3: What role does 'emotional acknowledgment' play in crisis communications?
- It legally protects the company from liability claims
- It validates stakeholder feelings and builds empathetic connection before presenting facts (Correct answer)
- It shifts focus away from organizational responsibility
- It is only used in healthcare crisis communications
Correct answer: It validates stakeholder feelings and builds empathetic connection before presenting facts
Emotional acknowledgment demonstrates empathy and helps audiences feel heard before they are receptive to factual information.
Question 4: Which PR concept refers to the credibility lent to a crisis message by a trusted third-party validator?
- Message amplification
- Third-party endorsement (Correct answer)
- Earned media validation
- Spokesperson authority
Correct answer: Third-party endorsement
Third-party endorsement from credible external sources such as experts, regulators, or community leaders significantly increases message credibility during a crisis.
Question 5: What is the primary risk of using humor in crisis communications?
- It may confuse journalists covering the story
- It can appear dismissive of victims and severely damage credibility (Correct answer)
- It reduces employee morale during the incident
- It triggers regulatory scrutiny
Correct answer: It can appear dismissive of victims and severely damage credibility
Humor in a serious crisis is widely perceived as tone-deaf and disrespectful, which can dramatically worsen public opinion and media coverage.
Question 6: An organization's social media manager posts an insensitive tweet during a national tragedy. What is the FIRST corrective step?
- Immediately delete the tweet and remain silent
- Delete the tweet and issue a sincere public apology acknowledging the error (Correct answer)
- Blame the individual employee publicly to protect the brand
- File a legal notice claiming the account was hacked
Correct answer: Delete the tweet and issue a sincere public apology acknowledging the error
Deleting the offending post and issuing a sincere, prompt apology shows accountability without deflecting blame or making false claims.
Question 7: Which framework categorizes crises by the degree of organizational control and responsibility, helping PR practitioners choose appropriate response strategies?
- The PESO Model
- Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) (Correct answer)
- The Excellence Theory
- The Agenda-Setting Framework
Correct answer: Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT)
SCCT, developed by W. Timothy Coombs, categorizes crises by responsibility attribution and prescribes matched communication strategies accordingly.
CPRS Crisis Management & Reputation Control 5
Which term describes online reputation attacks designed to overwhelm an organization with coordinated negative content?