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Crisis
Communications
&
The Media
Cindy Campbell, Associate Director
University Police Department
California Polytechnic State University
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
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.”
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.”
Case Study: Virginia Tech
100s of state and federal law enforcement vehicles unintentionally
exacerbated the parking and traffic situation on campus.
Case Study: Virginia Tech
350+ News outlets and the 60-70 satellite trucks quickly overwhelmed
campus parking operations.
Case Study: Virginia Tech
Must prepare for numerous grief activities and to support the
“special needs” of victims and VIPs.
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
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”
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
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
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
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
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)
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?
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
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…)
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:
1. Understand the issue
2. Recognize the potentials/positions
3. Address the issue
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)
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
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?