Crisis Communications & The Media

1. Crisis Communications&The Media Cindy Campbell, Associate DirectorUniversity Police DepartmentCalifornia Polytechnic State University

2. Crisis Planning…in Parking? When a crisis happens: • Campus resources will be immediately overwhelmed • Lines of Communication may be severely limited (radios, phones, internet access) • The faster you can return your campus to normal operations, the quicker you begin the recovery process

3. Case Study:Virginia Tech April 16, 2007 “Totally under-prepared” “At the time, there was no established line of communication between Parking & Transportation and University Public Relations.”

4. Case Study: Virginia Tech -Richard McCoy, Parking Manager, VT • “At the time…we realized that no media plan existed.” • “The media WILL be here. They will be of some benefit.”

5. Case Study: Virginia Tech100s of state and federal law enforcement vehicles unintentionally exacerbated the parking and traffic situation on campus.

6. Case Study: Virginia Tech350+ News outlets and the 60-70 satellite trucks quickly overwhelmed campus parking operations.

7. Case Study: Virginia TechMust prepare for numerous grief activities and to support the “special needs” of victims and VIPs.

8. Case Study: Virginia Tech Day One • Crisis Management: No communication could be established with Campus Police • Dismissal of Campus Personnel - Removed operational managers from decision loop • “Campus roadways were in gridlock” – no movement and no parking staff could help due to lack of radio communication

9. Case Study: Virginia Tech Day Two – Week Two: “Grief Activities” Observations & Lessons Learned: • Need a coordination meeting at the beginning of Day Two • Have a Media Parking Plan in place (written guidelines) • Enhanced coordination & communication between P&T and local Police agencies • Prepare for numerous off-campus mourners & sightseers to want to be at “grief site” • Prepare to receive large number of unexpected and sporadic “grief volunteers”

10. Case Study: Virginia Tech (“Grief Activities”, Cont.) • Hosting an event with the President of the United States will halt support to everything else. • Identify a location to stage a large number of personnel and vehicles for support of main campus (i.e. airport) • Deploying a liaison to non-university agencies (i.e. transit) was helpful • Deploying a liaison to university public relations department can be useful

11. Why crisis communications matters Panic and lack of planning will exacerbate any problem. Remember… • Lives may be at risk • Fallout can affect the entire campus • Effects may not be short term

12. Preparing for the impossible • Develop communications strategies • Develop scenario planning (with worst case scenarios) • Have designated personnel to handle crisis communications • Build media awareness at all levels within your organization

13. Everyone’s got a GOAL • The Media wants/needs TWO things:Access and Communication Our campus wants/needs: • To maintain a reasonable flow of traffic • The ability to access campus buildings • Access to campus roadways and buildings for emergency responders • Access to campus walkways

14. Common Sense Guidelines • Anticipate • Acknowledge • Articulate & Communicate • Do the right thing, and be seen doing it • Be assertive & open • No “no comment” (gives the impression that you have something to hide)

15. Common Sense Guidelines • Monitor what the media is saying:How it is reported, by whom, how often, qualitative as well as quantitative, ask around, read online as well as print/television • Engage with journalists:Careful, honest discussion vs. “Sales Job” • Remember:There is no such thing as “Off the Record” • Will the press know the boundaries?

16. Common Sense Guidelines • Try to understand, THEN respond. -You don’t talk to the reporter to get rid of their questions, you talk to them to reach your INTENDED AUDIENCE. • No knee jerk reactions, no set pieces, no stock comments - Don’t give anyone an opportunity to question your sincerity OR your authority • Train personnel - the media WILL get answers, make sure they are YOURS - “I will have to get the answer and get right back to you.” • Brief Superiors & Campus Communications Team - Keep them in the loop as much as you can

17. Media: Friend or Foe? • Neither - they are impartial, and have to be • The reality of impartiality: NOT! • Media is intensely oppositional (ex. Investigative reporting) • Media shapes public opinion - “Parking Nazi’s”, “Pariah”, or… are you… ”Service Providers”, “Parking Services” • Before a Crisis: Regular interaction with the media as opposed to response driven interactions - situation reports, updates on projects, positive human interest stories • Engage! (and keep a record of all interactions…)

18. First 24 hours • Create an internal operations center – hotline (if necessary), key personnel, equipment, access to people & information, open lines of communication. • When formulating responses: • Understand the issue • Recognize the potentials/positions • Address the issue

19. What’s in a Message? Communicate: • Core values (vision, mission) • Reputation (Services, History) • The reasons behind the action (why it is important) • Safeguards taken and due diligence measures • YOUR KEY MESSAGE • Admit any wrongdoing AND what measures will be taken for redress, • Within what time frame, and led by whom • Contact information (phone(s), fax, email, webpage)

20. Do you respond at all? • Will it blow over? • No response = Assumption of Accuracy? • Respond accordingly - response based on media monitoring, consulting superiors and campus communications team

21. The Good…The Bad...and the Ugly… Share it! • What’s happened at your campus? • What went well? • What will you handle differently NEXT time?