Dianna Russini - Crisis Communication Plan
In summer 2026, I developed a crisis comms plan for sports journalist Dianna Russini after a series of photos emerged that raised serious questions about her journalistic integrity and ultimately led to her resignation from The Athletic. The plan was designed to achieve one thing: to rebuild trust in her credibility, to reassert her professional standing and to re-establish her as a credible and respected NFL reporter. We assessed the severity of the situation, mapped out the internal and external stakeholders, and developed a 4-phase plan that moved from narrative control to trust management, credibility, and then ultimately to reputation. The plan was built on three strategies: own it, explain it, promise it; demonstrate accountability; reassert credibility; and manage the narrative through facts, not speculation. We also drafted a number of sample key messages which were all based on the 'Own It, Explain It, Promise It' principle.
This was a reputational crisis with no public health emergency and no clear fix, so the strategy had to be built around trust rather than safety. The hardest part was striking a tone that took accountability seriously without feeding speculation, since an overly defensive response would have made matters worse. I also had to think about how a journalist’s reputation is tied to her work, so the later phases focused on high-quality reporting and respected industry voices rather than a quick public apology. Through this project, I strengthened my skills in crisis communications, reputation management, stakeholder analysis, message development, and media narrative strategy.