And that's the usual reaction for local officials.
Many people fear talking to the media in the midst of an emergency, and some don't even relish the thought when they have good news to share. When dealing with the press, there are several keys to successfully communicate and reduce uneasiness while increasing your effectiveness.
Connect Early
It is critical to develop relationships with your local news media right now, when there isn't an emergency. Meeting a local reporter for the first time in the middle of an incident is not the right moment to attempt an effective ongoing dialogue. By coordinating meetings with local reporters now -- not while on the hot seat -- you'll have an opportunity to talk about issues that are important to you, such as how your agency functions, your role in emergency management and ways you can assist the media in accessing important information during an emergency.
The media is one of the best resources for disseminating important, time-sensitive information quickly and efficiently to the public.
After establishing rapport with the local news media, it's important to assure your accessibility to reporters. Many reporters look for local experts to help with background information and lend unique perspectives to national or regional stories. Often times they need this input after hours or on weekends. Even though these stories may not directly involve you or your jurisdiction, offering your expertise proves you're a valuable source. By doing this, you are also refining your media relations skills in a nonthreatening setting.
While it is important for you to remain accessible to the press, you also need to develop your own list of after-hour contact information for reporters and their news organizations. Remember, very few emergencies occur on weekdays during normal business hours. When an incident happens, you want to be able to access the media immediately. It is much more effective to be on the offensive in releasing information during an emergency than simply responding to media inquiries after the fact.
It's Nothing Personal
Remember your encounters with the media are not personal. The reporter assigned to your story is simply working on an assignment -- nothing more.
If you've established rapport with the reporter in advance, the meeting will be a bit more comfortable. If you have never met, this is an opportunity to make a great first impression and convey your message effectively and positively.
Most reporters have no connection to the stories they are assigned; therefore you are the subject matter expert. Be prepared to speak authoritatively on the topic, and offer to provide useful background information that will help the reporter put the story in perspective. For instance, today's train crash may be a major event, but it can be reassuring to know that responders prepare for this type of emergency on an ongoing basis. In fact, point out the last time responders trained on issues related to today's event, and how much more devastating the event could have been without such preparation.
If the incident continues for several days, make certain your public information staff is working to find new and unique topics related to the incident that can be shared with reporters. This process helps keep the story fresh, and again, provides the opportunity you need to remain on the offensive rather than in a defensive mode.
Here are some basic rules that can help you avoid controversy when interacting with the media:
never comment on topics or issues beyond your area of control, expertise and/or influence.
Real Interaction
Most often, the reality is that your interaction with the press will not be at a press conference during an emergency, but rather as a one-on-one experience dealing with a less time-sensitive matter. Many of these encounters will have been at your suggestion through the issuance of a press release. So let's look at how to increase your efficiency when preparing and issuing press releases.
First, ask yourself a couple of basic questions: Is the subject of your press release newsworthy? If not, why are you preparing a release? Is your media list current?
Nothing is worse than sending a press release to a media organization or reporter that has changed names or jobs. It shows you are out of the loop and not very media savvy.
If you've decided to go forward with writing and issuing a press release, here are a few important tips:
An important factor to remember when preparing and distributing a press release is that it's an attempt to convince a local news director or editor that the subject of your release is worthy of allocating time and money to cover. There are a limited number of stories to cover daily and the competition to become one of those stories is intense. In fact, many local newsrooms receive more than 50 press releases each day for consideration. Only a handful will be successful.
If, however, your releases are presented in a professional manner, the subject matter is interesting and you've developed a positive working relationship with your local reporters, then the likelihood of your success is enhanced.
Effective media relations before and during an incident depend largely on your attitude toward the media, knowledge of the situation and understanding of how to maximize your effectiveness.
Remember, you are the expert. Be professional, informative and straightforward, and you will enjoy success in your encounters with the media.
More specific ways to communicate with the media during a disaster scenario will appear in the summer issue of Emergency Management.
Bio: Russell Decker is a certified emergency manager, and director of the Allen County, Ohio, Office of Homeland Security.
