NYC Mayor’s Comments About Car Chase Raise Crisis Communication Issues

Officials who make contradictory or premature statements about a crisis or incident risk confusing the public and raising questions about their credibility.

A case in point is what New York Mayor Eric Adams said yesterday about an incident involving Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex—and how he said it. The mayor’s comments underscore the importance of several best practices for communicating information about a crisis or headline-making incident.

On Tuesday night, the royal couple was “involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi,” the office of the royal couple said in a statement.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers. While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety.”

Don’t Feel Compelled To Comment

At yesterday’s news conference, a reporter asked Adams, “Can you say anything about the response to a paparazzi chase involving Prince Harry and his wife last night? Pretty scary. Apparently, two NYPD officers [were] involved.”

Rather than commenting, the mayor would have been well-advised to say that he was going to receive a full briefing about the incident later and would withhold further comments for the time being.

Say Nothing Until Fully Informed

A crisis communication best practice is not to say anything until you have all the information or facts about the situation.

Adams admitted at the news conference, however, that he had not been fully briefed about the situation, according to the New York Times.

Back-Up What You Say

But that did not stop him from talking about it anyway and casting doubt about the statement from the couple’s office.

Although he condemned what happened as “a bit reckless and irresponsible,” he also raised doubts about the incident, saying, “I would find it hard to believe that there was a two-hour high-speed chase.” He did not cite anything to back up that opinion, however.

Going further, he observed that even a 10-minute pursuit would be “extremely dangerous in New York City,” perhaps implying that injuries or deaths would likely have resulted from such a prolonged chase through Midtown Manhattan.

There Can Be Different Sides To The Story

Depending on the crisis or incident, different parties may have different and perhaps even contradictory observations about what happened.

One View

“A member of the security team protecting Prince Harry and Meghan has described a ‘chaotic’ chase in New York involving paparazzi photographers on Tuesday, saying it could have ended with fatalities,” according to CNN.

A Different Perspective

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed to the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that police officers “assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”

“There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging,” Julian Phillips, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner, public information, said in a statement. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”

And A Third

“A photo agency issued a statement denying the freelance photographers involved had done anything wrong and insisting that they had ‘no intention of causing any distress or harm,” ABC7 News New York reported.

“On the contrary, Backgrid USA said the photographers present reported that part of Harry's security escort ‘was driving in a manner that could be perceived as reckless.'’ But Backgrid also said it took the couple's concerns seriously and would investigate the incident,” according to the television station.

Prepare

Before company executives say anything about a crisis, they should:

• Prepare a written statement that details what they know, how they know it, and when they knew it.
• Cite the source of all information and how current it is. When appropriate, explain when and how details about the crisis will be updated.
• Circulate the draft statement to staff or colleagues for their feedback and guidance.
• Write down a list of the questions that could be asked about the statement, and make sure you have appropriate answers for each question.
• Explain the steps that will be taken to investigate the crisis or incident, provide guidance about when the investigation will be completed, and when and how the results will be announced.