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Abstract
Outgoing corporate messages used by ValuJet in the 1st month after the crash of its Flight 592 and the media coverage published in 2 newspapers were content analyzed and compared. ValuJet used both mortification and ingratiation strategies as predicted by Coombs'(1995) accident decision flowchart, but the repertoire needs expanding to include corporate statements that express concern and sympathy without accepting blamesuch as anadditional strategy, "compassionwithout blame." Also, organizations in crisis need to be prepared to weather the initial media onslaught because more than 50% of the 1st month's coverage was published in the first 6 days postcrisis.
