The Manager’s Guide to Handling the Media in Crisis: Saying & Doing the Right Thing When It Matters Most

Part 1

Understanding Media Relations

Media relations during emergencies are crucial – not just for your company but for media organizations as well. The crisis is important to the media because it has the potential to create big business for the news media. Thus, developing a news media relations strategy for your company is crucial because the public depends on traditional media in crisis for its insight and, though declining, its credibility. A media relations strategy is a communications tool that provides great exposure, great risk, and great opportunity for real-time surprises.

This chapter will help you to:

Achieve novel, powerful, positive emergency media responses.

Develop media relations policies, procedures, and plans.

Deal with network news programs.

Understand the requirements of being a good spokesperson.

See the crisis from the point of view of the reporter or editor.

Create and deliver the message that best represents your organization.

Manage victims and their needs.

1.1 The Crisis Media Relations Policy

1.1.1 Sample Crisis Media Relations Policy

The first step in managing relations with the social and traditional media is to establish a sensible, professional crisis media relations policy. Here is a seven-point sample approach.

1. Regional managers and Headquarters Media Relations employees are the designated spokespersons for XYZ Company, its parent, and subsidiaries.

2. All other employees must secure prior approval from Headquarters Media Relations for any outside publication, speech, interview, discussion, or other communication with or to the media if it involves XYZ Company or can have an impact on the Company.

3. Media calls from national and international media should be directed to Headquarters Media Relations.

4. Calls for financial information or overall (rather than regional) company information should be directed to Headquarters Media Relations.

5. The Headquarters Media Relations team will answer calls from financial analysts either by using information in the public domain or by referring calls to Investor Relations.

6. Local media calls are to be handled by local managers when regional regulatory activity, local employee information, or regulatory questions are involved.

7. Local issues may be discussed with the media if the information is public or if it is not material. Material information is that which would influence a reasonable investor to buy, sell, or hold stock. It is important that questions about this type of information be directed to Headquarters Media Relations and Investor Relations.

Organizational messages, regardless of who conveys them, must always be internally and externally consistent.

1.1.2 Guidelines for Designated Spokespersons

Organizational messages, regardless of who conveys them, must always be internally and externally consistent. Always use or obtain approved language. Model guidelines could include:

1. Predictions about strategy, earnings, sales, value of the company, industry trends, and the like must be avoided. Widely known existing strategies can be discussed as long as they are expected to remain the same.

2. Under regulation FD (Full Disclosure), the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) considers that all company spokespersons, regardless of title or level, equal XYZ Company representatives. In fact, under FD, all audiences are to receive equal treatment at the risk of penalties and sanctions that the SEC has become quite accustomed to imposing.

3. In 2002, the United States Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a law that initially imposed very strict regulations on accounting and disclosure. The passage of this law affects most publicly held companies regardless of where they operate in the world. Recent amendments to Sarbanes-Oxley adopted and initiated in 2004 set even more stringent requirements in terms of ethics and the behavior of corporate leaders, and the punishment they can experience should corporate governance laws be violated. The Sarbanes-Oxley laws have been subsequently amended and remain controversial.

1.1.3 Good Spokesperson Practices

In situations of crisis or catastrophe, the importance of competent, compassionate, careful spokespeople is crucial. After reading this section, one could argue that these techniques and practices are those of any good spokesperson. That would be true. However, in times of crisis and catastrophe, bad things happen faster and control is lost much more quickly. It is the spokesperson who sets the tone, tempo, and expectations of those paying attention or relaying on the spokesperson for information.

Remain calm. Crisis and catastrophe communication require the highest levels of professionalism from spokespersons. Whether the spokesperson is the most senior executive in the organization or someone else, that person’s job is to reassure people, exhibit confidence and competence, and use his or her words and writings to help focus on resolving the issues at hand and reducing the production of victims and collateral damage.

Coordinate all comments with the crisis website. Since most real news covers adverse situations, reporters tend to be quite experienced in covering crises. Therefore, they have a natural suspicion of information handed out by paid representatives, causing reporters to look for discrepancies rather than story lines. Make certain that whatever is said from a lectern, live, is identical to or compatible with whatever is being posted on your website.

Use positive language. Distortions, lies, misunderstandings, and conflicting information are generally caused by the use of negative characterizations and responses. A spokesperson’s goal in writing and in speaking is to answer questions and provide information in completely positive and declarative language.

Avoid all negative words, phrases, and descriptions . Negative language causes confusion and additional questions. Negative language is, essentially, non-communication. Negative language is almost always misinterpreted, leading to further negative questions regarding whatever the misinterpretation happens to be. Every negative response, phrase, characterization, or description causes additional questions, many of which are very difficult to answer. Some negative circumstances are considered to be outright lies from the start. Almost any answer or statement that uses the word can’t is considered a lie right off the bat.

Disclose some facts immediately and continuously , even if the news is bad. Information delayed is considered information withheld. In addition, piecemeal disclosure can result in prolonged coverage. The spokesperson must quickly begin to collect the facts and initiate information flow to various audiences and the media.

Devote a dedicated website to the controversies at hand . On this site should reside a growing repository of useful, current, and generally helpful information, including studies, laws, rules and regulations, questions and answers, and corrections and clarifications of information already provided.

Act quickly. The first hour or two is critical to getting the organization’s story out. Once a story is out, it may be difficult to change the perceptions that result.

Treat the media professionally and with equality. Show respect and distance. Say what you mean to say, and then say good-bye. You may also indicate when you will speak again, if ever.

Treat all inquiries fairly and promptly . Refer all inquiries to the website initially so everyone has access to the same basic information. This approach can reduce media calls and inquiries by significant amounts, sometimes as much as 90%. In crises, most reporters are not calling to do an original story but to verify information or validate other stories they have read, seen, or heard. A visit to your website can often satisfy those concerns, and reporters will move on to other things.

Stick to the facts. Talk about what you know to be true. When asked a question or situation for which the spokesperson does not have an answer, the spokesperson’s response should be positive and declarative. For example, the spokesperson could say, My knowledge of that is limited. I know a couple of things. The spokesperson then says what he or she knows and asks if the inquirer would like additional information beyond that given. In 90% of the cases, this response will satisfy whoever is asking the question. If the inquirer needs more information and says so, the spokesperson can respond appropriately.

Avoid I don’t know. Far too often, if the answer is, I don’t know, the positive, declarative approach is much better and avoids wild goose chases looking for information that was never really sought after in the first place.

Avoid guessing and speculation . Questions that begin with, Suppose... Couldn’t...? Shouldn’t...? or What if...? or How bad could it have been? require speculative responses or guesses. Talk only about what you know. Ironically, guessing forces the reporter to keep speculating, causing even more distortion.

A void making estimates. Many will be attempting to estimate the costs of catastrophe and damage. Be ready for it. Either have appropriate estimates available, a forecast for when such estimates will be available, or a reasonable and truthful explanation as to why such estimates are not available and may never be. Crisis and catastrophe provide visibility for many organizations, many businesses, and many points of view. Damage estimates are very controversial, and these are questions you can anticipate. (Remember the problems BP had with the daily changes in estimating the scope of the oil spill.)

It is possible to respond in a positive way to even the most negative, challenging, harsh, or intimidating question. Use positive, declarative language.

Avoid flatly refusing to provide information. The use of phrases such as no comment needs to be avoided. These phrases automatically establish a negative environment, with the spokesperson being the target of doubts, distrust, and even becoming discredited. There are some excellent response options when a request for information has either yet to surface or must be withheld: I’ll need more information before I can answer that question, That information is being withheld at the present time for ______ reasons, but we hope to release it soon, The answer to that question will become available as the situation unfolds, When we have reliable information in response to that question, we will provide it, and The answer to that question (or series of questions) is proprietary and will remain confidential. As you can see by these responses, it is possible to respond in a positive way to even the most negative, challenging, harsh, or intimidating question. Use positive, declarative language.

Release information about victims only after families have been notified, and with the permission of the families – or let the families do it.

Express genuine regret if there are fatalities or injuries to report. Being empathetic is expected. Responsibility is a matter for the company’s officers and legal counsel, and possibly the courts, to determine. Responsibility will be determined some time in the future, our concern now are helping the victims, cleaning up, talking with neighbors, etc. Empathy and sympathy may actually reduce exposure to litigation.

Only tell reporters what you would be comfortable having your mother see in print or hear on television or radio.

Think before you respond. Whenever you talk to a reporter, you are being interviewed. Period. Use approved messages and statements.

Provide the media with useful, positive information , such as facility/plant safety statistics and other information relevant to news coverage. However, remember that bad problems will cause bad stories. Too many safety statistics will stimulate even more emotionally charged responses from victims and survivors.

Control the interview:

Avoid all negative words and phrases.

Be brief and positive.

Bundle your main points into groups of three or four.

Choose the setting for safety and message value.

Establish ground rules.

Help reporters make their deadlines.

Make available photographs and broadcast-quality video footage.

Repeat key information several times.

Set starting times and ending times for media interviews or press conferences.

Stay calm.

Tell the reporter what is important.

Use appropriate and approved statements and messages.

Have a media access plan where possible and reasonable. Designate a single media entrance, staffed by security guards. All other entrances should be posted with signs directing media to the appropriate location. Only reporters or photographers with approved identification should be given access, and then only with approval of the spokesperson or designee of the Crisis Communication Team. Media should be escorted while on the premises.

Monitor media coverage, correct and clarify. Monitoring media coverage matters, because mistakes occur. Therefore, your organization must have an ongoing strategy for correcting and clarifying mistakes that has little reliance on the media. Corrections in either new media or traditional media are rare and need to be substantial. Establish a Corrections and Clarifications area on your website (see below for a description of this technique). Rather than asking the media for a correction and clarification, direct the reporter and others to your website. The one exception is the wire