Maturity of crisis communication in Austria at a high level | Crisis navigator

The spectrum of speakers at this year’s Austrian Crisis Communication Summit at the University of Vienna ranged from A for APA to W for Westbahn. At the invitation of the Kiel Crisis Navigator, around 120 communications managers and crisis managers discussed strategies for reputation management in uncertain times in the Sky Lounge and digitally on October 10, 2024. One focus was the threats to the reputation of people and organizations caused by AI manipulation, fake news and hate speech on the Internet.

Right at the beginning of the congress it became clear that not all crises are the same for the institutions. While a company like Spar with more than a million customers per day does not classify a shitstorm with 2,000 negative posts on social media as a crisis, for exposed individuals such as a politician in the Styrian state parliament, such a thing can certainly represent a real crisis. Other institutions such as the armed forces rely on the “body count” when defining crises. If a member of the armed forces dies an unnatural death while on duty or is wounded by enemy forces while deployed abroad, this is a crisis. The same applies if a civilian is injured or killed by the armed forces.

What most of the presentations had in common was that trust is the most important asset that should be protected through crisis communication and reputation management, even in uncertain times. While the media center of the state of Salzburg relies on the principle of “accuracy before speed”, the Austrian Energy industry association works according to the principle of “explain, show, correct”. The internationally active construction company Strabag creates trust through open and proactive communication paired with internal and external fact checks. If third parties try to destroy trust in organizations and individuals, there are proven legal options to defend yourself against character assassination. But as a media lawyer illustrated, their use can sometimes cause more harm than good.

AI used for and against disinformation

The traditional highlight of the 36th Crisis Navigator summit was the panel with representatives from companies, authorities, associations, science and politics. The discussants had very different opinions on the question of how an effective early warning system should be designed to protect against fake news, bots and trolls. While politics and science are focusing on greater teaching of media skills in educational institutions, companies and associations are emphasizing the responsibility of journalists as central gatekeepers for serious and trustworthy content. This is exactly where the APA’s AI-supported fact checks come into play. The use of AI tools to detect manipulation at the news agency continues to advance. Nevertheless, journalistic duty of care and people as the final decision-making authority will remain indispensable components of fact checks for the foreseeable future.

“In an international comparison, Austrian companies, authorities and associations have achieved a high level of maturity in crisis communication,” says Frank Roselieb, managing director of the Crisis Navigator – Institute for Crisis Research, a spin-off from the University of Kiel and initiator of the crisis communication summit. “Many people in charge already have a good eye on the ÖNORM EN ISO 22361 on crisis management, which has only been valid for a year,” Roselieb continued. Impressions of the Austrian Crisis Communication Summit 2024 can be accessed on the event’s website at www.2024.kritikenkommunikationsgipfel.at. The next summit will take place on March 5, 2025 in Leipzig.

Note: “m/f/d” applies to all personal names.