Every year there are accidents. For every accident there is someone who is held responsible. But sometimes the person, group or corporation doesn’t handle this culpability so well, trying to pass the blame on to others through angry statements and accusations.

But a recent study titled, “Emotions Matter in Crisis,” by MU journalism professor Glen Cameron along with professor Hyo Kim of the Nanyang Technology University in Singapore has proven that corporations are handling their crises the wrong way.

“When the framing (of a statement) is angry when the reader is angry, the reader doesn’t appreciate it,” Cameron said.

The study presented two types of fictitious media coverage to a group of readers. The coverage presented corporate statements that dealt with an accident involving exploding cell phones.

One statement was anger-inducing because it placed blame on the company and reported the members’ punishment, and the other was sadness-inducing because it discussed the victims’ injuries and their just compensation. The study showed that the anger-inducing responses led to negative opinions of the company responsible and the media covering it for not focusing on relief.

Anger, the study shows, can give off the appearance of evasion or deflection instead of taking responsibility for the crises.

Cameron cited two noticeable examples in recent history of the right and wrong way for a corporation to respond to a crisis.

When British Petroleum had an oil pipe burst in the summer of 2010, causing more than 190 million gallons of oil to spill into the Gulf of Mexico there was more discussion over who was to blame and the multiple failed attempts to stop the leak the the ecological damage caused. As a result, BP’s stock took a nose dive, and public opinion of the company is still negative.

On the other hand, when the tragedy of 9/11 occurred, countless stories flooded the media of heroic rescuers, survivors’ escapes and the grieving families of those who died.

“The best thing for corporations to do is acknowledge the problem, admit guilt and move on.” Cameron said. “If corporations don’t accept culpability, it looks really bad.”