Tips to handle media during crisis

Tell what you know when you know it. Investigations and study take time, but time is not on your side in a crisis. Even though there are things you can't say or don't know, tell what you know when you know it. If you don't, you invite speculation and a void that will be filled by others who may not know the full picture.

Decide what you're going to say and who is going to say it. What you say and who you select to say it speaks volumes about your business's ability to handle the crisis. While the facts of what happened are important to get out, so is the context in which those facts should be viewed. Seek to put facts in context, with an eye toward the bigger picture of what it means, especially for those harmed in any way by events. This is called "messaging," and it will give your key stakeholders an understanding of the crisis from your perspective. Be careful to limit the number of people speaking for the company so you can be sure of what's being said and to whom.

Tell the truth. Messaging isn't "spin." Your key stakeholders have got to know they can count on you to tell the truth, no matter how unpleasant that truth is. Even if you are not at liberty to tell all or you simply do not know all the facts, make sure what you do say is reliable and trustworthy. (An acknowledgement that you don't know all the facts doesn't absolve you from relating the truth of what you do know.)

Acknowledge the bad. It's important to acknowledge people's anger or frustration, even when not accepting blame for wrongdoing. Avoid the temptation to minimize objections and complaints. Let people have some kind of forum to be heard, and let them know you're listening.

Make sure you're reaching your audience. The media has never been as diverse and as diffused as it is now. That means it's harder than ever for businesses to reach their stakeholders through one central means of communication. Determine the myriad ways you'll reach your target audience well in advance of a crisis. That means well-thought-out media lists, as well as temporary and timely company Web sites available to the media and to the general public, and, if resources allow, coordinated advertising and marketing campaigns.

Keep your employees informed. Don't neglect your own company's internal sites or newsletters (if they exist) as a vital resource for your own employees. As best you can, monitor what's being said and written about you so that you can choose how and when to respond.
React appropriately. There will very likely be factors beyond your control that affect your ability to handle the crisis. Don't promise solutions you may not be able to deliver on. At the same time, make sure to vet your proposed solutions so that your response isn't viewed as too little, too late.

(Soure:http://www.cio.com/article/121653/How_to_Handle_the_Media_During_a_Crisis/1
http://www.businessweek.com/playbook/07/0904_1.htm)