Issue analysis

Reconstruct an issue before responding.

Bring together sources, updates and open questions when a brand issue emerges. Prepare a briefing and verification plan for the people deciding the response.

Listening to your marketIllustrative example

Your brand · press and conversations

TrendTopicsMentions

The topic to investigate

  1. Example question

    After the headphones launch, which issues do the press and customers report?

  2. What you read

    The detail view distinguishes a personal account from an original article and a reprint of the same story. Available sources help trace its origin and updates.

  3. The next step

    Open the sources for the topic, check the issue and assign a task with an owner to the team.

Volume alone does not measure reputation or trust. Original articles and reprints of the same story must be distinguished before comparison.

What you get

A path to a response.

Link each task to a question to resolve: check a fact, update a page or prepare a response. Assign ownership and timing; external communications require separate approval.

Organise the response around the facts
  1. Clarify the problem

    Gather verified facts and open questions, distinguishing people involved from consequences that remain hypothetical.

  2. Coordinate the action

    Assign checks and tasks to the relevant team; prepare material for approval.

  3. Check the follow-up

    Check the topic and actions taken. Reduced attention does not demonstrate that the problem is resolved.

Evidence timeline

A shared picture as everything changes.

If a disputed story about your brand is circulating, collect the original link, available reposts and corrections. Organize the facts in the team’s briefing: which claim needs checking, which source published it and who can clarify it.

Start with active workspace sources and record publication dates, updates and points to verify in the team briefing. Consult available AI answers separately to understand how the case is described. Press, social media and forums depend on contracted sources: repeated publication does not mean new facts.

Two communications professionals watch broadcast screens in a monitoring room at night. AI-generated scene.
AI-generated image · Illustrative scene
Information context
  1. Publication date
  2. Collection time
  3. Latest verification

Assessment and response

From facts to responsibilities.

An incident’s severity depends on its consequences and the people involved, not conversation volume alone. Your team starts with what it can verify and who has the information needed.

The briefing brings together confirmations, disputed claims, open checks and material to prepare. AI Reputation Manager proposals should be reviewable in context. Reviewing a draft remains separate from authorising its publication or sending, with the relevant functions involved for the case.

A framework for organising verification
Briefing itemInformation to gatherResponsibility to assign
What is documentedOriginal source, date, relevant content and updates.Check authenticity, relevance and permitted use.
What remains openUnconfirmed claims, conflicting accounts and missing data.Identify the contact who can clarify the point.
What to prepareResponse objective, recipients and supporting material.Assess the proposal and separately authorise any communication.

Verification over time

Follow the issue beyond the spike.

Falling mentions may reflect reduced attention without proving that the underlying issue has been resolved. Follow-up should focus on the affected experience and actions actually taken.

The comparison considers new facts, source updates and relevant operational data available to your team. A corrected article, improved procedure and updated AI answer are different outcomes. A crisis procedure should assign responsibilities, channels and update intervals, distinguishing confirmed facts from open checks.

Action

What was implemented, by whom and when.

Experience

Which evidence helps establish whether the problem persists for those involved.

Narrative

How observed sources and answers evolve after updates.

Related paths

Check your brand’s presence, compare results or choose content improvements: continue with the feature you need.

From question to action

From the question to checking the outcome: context, sources, hypotheses and action plans in the TrustInsider analytical workflow.

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Find the right answer

Find guides, FAQs and methodology to clarify indicators, coverage and access, with dedicated routes for data requests.

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Understand a crisis before responding · trustinsider