Pandemic Flu Communications: How to Prepare for a Crisis in a Web 2.0 World

Davidow and Baron offer tips on how public relations (PR) professionals prepare for a crisis in a Web 2.0 world. The H1N1 pandemic is a watershed moment in crisis communications. It is the first Web 2.0 global health issue, demonstrating a significant shift in where the public obtains its information. A study by Pew Research Center for the People and the Press released May 6, 2009 showed that the public found the Internet to be the most useful source information on H1N1 above all other media, including TV and newspapers. Although traditional coverage of the outbreak has waned, the public's interest has not. This means that PR professionals need to continually monitor the situation and communicate to their audiences, especially given that the number of infections and deaths continues to rise.