September 15th 2008
Metrolink Spokeswoman Resigns
D
enise Tyrrell, who shocked just about everyone when she said within hours of last Friday’s Metrolink crash that the Metrolink engineer was to blame for the accident has resigned her position as the agency’s spokesperson.
Metrolink Spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell said she has quit over comments made by the Metrolink board.
She claims that Metrolink’s Chief Executive told her she could release the basic facts of the investigation after Friday’s crash, including an initial statement suggesting the Metrolink engineer may have been at fault in the deadly crash after ignoring a red warning signal.
Tyrrell says she decided to resign after a statement read by board member Ron Roberts to a Los Angeles Times blogger Sunday that her announcement was “premature.”
Tyrrell says she believes that the public should know the facts as early as possible. (source)
I would agree with Tyrrell to a point. It is perfectly good crisis management to roll out facts as quickly as you get them, and the consequences of not doing so can be profound. But you should only disclose information that has been proven true, because having to admit you disclosed misinformation in the middle of a crisis can make reputation recovery much tougher.
In this case, Tyrrell’s statement was proven true – or as close as you can get to true at this point – when the NTSB also tagged the engineer with blame on Sunday. But that was Sunday, and Tyrrell pegged him on Friday.
Tyrrell said she had Metrolink’s Chief Executive permission to give an initial statement suggesting the Metrolink engineer may have been at fault in the deadly crash after ignoring a red warning signal, but her resignation today suggests either she misunderstood the direction … or is being sacrificed to protect a CEO who overstepped.
It all goes to show how important internal communications and clear directions are in crisis situations. The issue of blame is the biggest issue in a crisis, and it demands considerable care. As refreshing as it seems to hear an immediate mea culpa, it’s essential everyone who’s in the leadership of the “mea” agrees with the “culpa.” As Denise Tyrrell is painfully aware today.
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