There is no definitive rule as to whether you must or should notify the media when you have a crisis.
There are several factors that you should consider:
First, consider whether your crisis is known to the public or if knowledge is still held internally. A fire or explosion is clearly known to the public and therefore you would want to issue a media statement within the first 15 minutes of the event and another statement before the end of the first hour. But if your crisis is an internal event, such as an allegation of wrongdoing or executive misbehavior, use your best discretion to determine when you should issue a statement. Best practices indicate you should tell the media and your employees before they learn of the allegations through a third party.
Secondly, if the media will find out about your event through social media, a whistle-blower, or other third-party sources, best practices suggest that you should inform the media and your employees.
Many decisions like this should be predetermined and formalized in a crisis communications plan and discussed in a media training class. You can learn more about crisis communications plans and media training at https://situationhub.com/situationhub-training/
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