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Ask A Crisis Communications Specialist

Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage is pictured on the screen of a TV journalist's camera as he speaks during a press conference in Dover, on the southeast coast of England.
BEN STANSALL
/
AFP via Getty Images
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage is pictured on the screen of a TV journalist's camera as he speaks during a press conference in Dover, on the southeast coast of England.

Who do high profile people or companies facing a scandal call when they're in a crisis?

Maybe their therapists. But definitely a crisis communications specialist.

Like the work of Olivia Pope in the T-V series Scandal, crisis communications is the practice of shaping public perception and reputation during a crisis. And it's a vital tool for maintaining people's reputations in today's digital landscape.

For this installment of our "Ask A" series, we pull back the curtain on a little-known corner of public relations. How are different scandals and crises handled? Who's handling them? Why does it matter?

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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