Abstract
Public relations has long been considered a powerful profession because of its ability to build and set agendas and to sway public opinion. However, with the advent of the citizen journalist and the rise of digital natives, practitioners are becoming increasingly dependent on acceptance from the general public. Therefore, with the increased complexities resulting from changing technology and ever-mounting sources of information, practitioners will be more successful in utilising tactics deemed powerful by stakeholders. This research details a four-condition quasi-experiment that empirically examines trust, competence, goodwill, and credibility of a press release, CEO speech, organisational blog, and CEO personal blog for an organisation in the midst of a sustained crisis. The ability to reach stakeholders in order to dispel rumours and provide accurate information is never as paramount as during a crisis. Therefore, the study privileges practitioners’ empirical data for choice and implication of tactic usage. Results indicate new technologies may be more trusted in times of crisis. Theoretical and pragmatic implications are discussed.