In most crisis management scenarios, the outcome depends heavily on what you do and say in the first few hours.

What the news media report in their first stories - and how they view your coping skills - will often set the tone for the entire crisis.

Chances are, the media's first impression will persist until you have overcome the problem and emerged victorious ... or you've been humiliated, fired, put out of business, arrested, sued, divorced ... the list goes on and on.