Working with the Media -- RL (Ronnie)

The media can be your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to communicating risk and crisis information. In putting together Chapter 15, the authors are correct in emphasizing how important it is to maintain a good relationship with the media – at all levels – from the top, and in some ways more importantly, with the reporter who may actually be engaged in the hands-on coverage of your organization. More often than not, it is the beat reporter with whom the practitioner may have the most consistent and direct contact.

This is probably one of the better chapters in the book in terms of providing insights as well as the how-to-guide in handling the responsibilities of crisis communication. The media does take on different roles depending on the type of crisis that is perceived. It’s easy enough for the practitioner to work with the media when a “care communication” situation is what’s on hand. It’s more difficult when the media takes on an advocacy role.

Investigative journalism can provide real eye-openers for the community and be a real headache for the practitioner who has something to hide – or acts as if he or she has something to hide. For example, journalistic investigations into the tobacco industry painted a pretty dismal picture of what went on behind the scenes there – and the less than forthcoming responses of industry public relations representatives didn’t help.

Michael Moore’s investigation of gun usage and sales in “Bowling for Columbine,” his documentary about gun violence with a focus on the tragic killings at the Littleton, Colorado high school. As part of his recorded investigation, Moore goes to the K-Mart headquarters in Michigan with some of the Columbine victims. (The ammunition used in the attack was ostensibly purchased at K-Mart.) K-Mart public relations officials tried to evade Moore at first – but in an about-face company spokespeople later announced K-Mart would stop selling ammunition. Moore’s tactics were more extreme than most journalists would use -- but for the public relations people at K-Mart, it was still, for them, a part of working with the media.

Another extreme example is Morgan Spurlock’s movie “Supersize Me,” in which he documented his numerous attempts to contact the McDonald’s public relations team – which steadfastly ignored his calls. One of McDonald’s first responses to the movie was in Australia, according to information from a link on the Supersize Me website. (http://www.theage.com.au/ McDonald’s filmed three commercials, including one which was shown at movie theaters in Australia. According to the article, McDonald's Australia was “the first McDonald's in the world to use advertising to publicly attack the movie, a decision taken after “research from customers indicated that McDonald's silence might be taken as an admission of guilt.”

The examples given here could be viewed as examples of advocacy “journalism” in the extreme. But they do provide some food for thought about the importance the media has for anyone working in public relations – especially when a crisis looms or when a journalist or documentary filmmaker embarks on a crusade.

In Chapter 15, The authors make notes of some important distinctions in contrasting the mass media with other stakeholders – mission and representation. Most journalists still believe in the concept of objectivity and balance – and will make an honest effort to provide a report free of bias. That’s why it’s so important for the public relations communicator to work with the media to provide accurate information – especially when technical or scientific issues are involved that are not always easy for the lay person to understand.

The authors note that “working productively with reporters and journalists can lead to a more informed, empowered, solution-oriented public” providing as an example of the benefits of this approach the public awareness campaigns about the AIDS virus and the E-coli bacteria risk. I agree.

The authors note the “cultural differences” that exist between a journalist and experts engaged in risk communication – and how important it is for the subject of an interview to be aware of these differences when engaging in an interview. I would say it’s important to remember that it is “an interview” and NOT a conversation. It is also important to keep in mind the values that drive a journalist in covering a news event – timeliness, proximity, prominence, consequence, human interest – and in the case of television – visuals. That’s why “I’ll get back to you tomorrow” is NOT the correct response to give to a journalist who calls for comment for a story. The story will go with or without your response – so why not seize the moment to try to get your organization’s perspective included in the story.

One last thought, about working with the media that complicates things for any public relations practitioner these days is the blogosphere. There’s more blogs and bloggers out there every day – how to work with bloggers could be a topic for another blog so I won’t get into it here. All I’ll say for now is remember the bloggers are out there and (perhaps) keeping tabs on your organization and your issue.