Many brands facing a communications crisis might believe it popped up  out of nowhere, but odds are there were warning signs along the way that  could have slowed or prevented the crisis. The warning signs were  likely just ignored or not seen.

For the media to pursue any negative or investigative story,  journalists first need to have the elements — and those elements don’t  come out of nowhere.

Every negative story needs a victim or business that was harmed. The  better investigative stories are able to present a systemic problem that  allowed the crisis to spread. Ideally, an investigative story will  demonstrate clear boundaries that show this wasn’t an accident but a  crisis that could have been prevented.

Here’s a closer look at some of the warning signs your business might be  headed for a crisis and what you can do to get on the right side of it.