Part of the problem was that by the time AC issued their amended press release, the reporters had already written their story and moved on. Some news outlets did eventually pick up on the amended release, but many just left the story as it was and probably didn't even notice the change.
After AC issued a brand new press release later in the day saying they were adding flights for stranded SG passengers, it was added to the stories, and that's what now appears when the media recaps Friday's events. Brewer probably should have issued a brand new release instead of amending the old one.
But on a larger scale, everyone knew this was going to happen. WS issued their release at 2 am ET. I don't think they just finished a board meeting to decide what to do -- they probably already had a plan. AC also should have had a plan, and it should have been communicated to the PR people.