Delta Airlines "Crisis"

Links:

http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/30/news/companies/delta_bankruptcy/index.htm?postversion=2007043010

early report of bankruptcy: http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/14/news/fortune500/delta/index.htm

http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=10665


Overall, the Delta Web site did have a story about the banruptcy but it was released and underneath a story about the company's new logo and fact sheet. Delta delibrately chose to focus on the future and changes at the company and hopefully shift the focus from the bankruptcy issue. The 2005 news story on the bankruptcy is professional and unbiased while the 2007 story seems more favorable to Delta, but not overtly biased. 

The press release concentrates more on how the company will get out of bankruptcy and their new plans and policies and only mention the word "bankruptcy" once. They glaze over the reason why they creating and implimenting all of these plans. The press release also includes some positive quotes from Jim Whitehurst, chief operating officer and Edward H. Bastian, chief financial officer of the company. I think the press release achieved its purpose of restoring faith in Delta. They do no use any of the keywords that the news stories on CNN used. The 2007 story on CNN also covered the future of Delta and mentioned one or two plans that Delta had come up with but it also covered the consequences. The Delta site, of course , does not mention that ticket costs will go up. Logically, the news stories were more balanced with pros and cons of the Delta exit plan. It is hard to say if the two stories are in agreement or disagreement because the Delta press release avoids the bankruptcy bit almost all together while the CNN stories do not highlight the redevelopment plan nearly as much as Delta does.

The press release includes more information about where Delta is headed while the news stories focused on how Delta got into the situation they are in. I think the two stories compliment each other quite well although from a news stand point I think the press release went overboard with the "positive." But that is the point of a press release, to concentrate on the future and the good parts.