During “The Integrity in Crisis Communication” lecture, Jim Lukaszewski,
Genaro Armas, and Steve Manual discussed situations Public Relations professionals encounter during their careers and the media’s view on these crises, focusing specifically on the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State.
The university’s representatives were guilty of confusing the genuine victims. More concerned with protecting the reputation of the university and their personal standing, the Board of Trustees and coaches did not prioritize the wellbeing of the abused children. The board’s attempt to conceal the issue, as well as that of any organization during a crisis may cause journalists to relay incorrect information due to the current rapid 24-hour news cycle. If this occurs, it becomes the ethical responsibility of the journalists to apologize for any mistakes and to update their readers with the correct information continuously.
The first time the public was notified of the abuse formed Penn State football coach, Jerry Sandusky, Lukaszewski defined victim confusion as
References
Solomon, George (Winter 2011). Slow to React. Retrieved from
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=10&sid=0e334baa-2f9d-41d3-a178-6d91844cc63f%40sessionmgr4&hid=1&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=69822119