Companies not coping well with crises in digital age: Freshfields

[SINGAPORE] It's no surprise that news travels fast in this day and age, but just how fast it travels still catches many companies off-guard.

In 28 per cent of crisis incidents, news spreads across the border, to international media, within an hour, and over two-thirds spread within 24 hours, according to a global study conducted by international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

"Today, largely as a result of social media, the window to buy more time has virtually disappeared," says Chris Pugh, partner, crisis management, Freshfields. "The moment a negative story breaks, it has the potential of spreading like wildfire to the other side of the world."