The PR Crisis Bible: How to Take Charge of the Media When All Hell Breaks Loose

You're the CEO of XYZ Worldwide. CNN has reported today, based on an unsubstantiated Matt Drudge report, that a female board member is engaged with you in insider trading of XYZ stock. And that she's rumored to be your lover. Camera crews and reporters are gathering in the lobby.

What do you do?

Ten years ago-even five-all an executive had to do was slip out the back door. But to survive in today's business world, where executives' personal lives (like recent Presidents') are no longer out of bounds, CEOs have to take responsibility for such stories, and have to respond immediately to the media with a credible explanation. Most executives simply don't realize that this is what they must do. Their careers are at stake.

The PR Crisis Bible is the only book to protect a CEO's reputation by stopping the problem where it begins: in the mind of the CEO. It's the first book that shows CEOs how the new media rules have changed the world. It demonstrates the right ways to respond to today's instant scandals, unsubstantiated reports, Internet rumors, and other crises. It pinpoints the reasons why CEOs get themselves into trouble, and shows how to turn a disaster to advantage. Today, CEOs must avoid the "seven deadly sins of handling a crisis" because even if they had nothing to do with a problem, it ends up in their lap. The buck always stops at the top.

Robin Cohn strikes a masterful balance between fear, the most powerful of motivators, and humor. Her cautionary tales of executives on the receiving end of adverse media will strike a chord with all decision-makers and leaders. The author's message? You can be prepared. But you must know the drill before a cyber-disaster strikes.