GUIDE TO

EFFECTIVE
MEDIA AND PUBLIC
RELATIONS
NEEDS OF THE MEDIA
What people in the Government think of the Media :
- ignorant
- intimidating
- arrogant
- inaccurate
- sensationalize
- focus on bad news
- oversimplify
- share anti-security interests
- don’t do their homeworks
- don’t use common sense
- invade people’s privacy
- intentionally hurt people
- reports events differently than other eyewitnesses
 What reporters tell about those in the
government :
 Don’t trust the media
 Don’t permit much access
 Expect reporters to know how government operates
 Don’t know what news is
 Seem hostile to reporters and their questions
 Are arrogant and self-serving
 Don’t care very much about people
 Don’t know that reporters do not write headlines
 Cannot accept the fact that if it is embarrassing or causes
conflict, it is going to the news worthy
What reporters tell about those in the
government :
 Try to hide something from the public
 Sell self-interest
 Speak in jargon or a language Greek to them
 Boring and dull
 Too late in responding
 Do not return calls or text messages
Basic elements of news
 Timeliness – stories on current information
 Prominence – stories on important information
 Proximity – stories about prominent individual
 Oddities – stories affecting the people’s lives and thinking

AS LONG AS IT IS :
 Devastating or negative in nature
 Distracting - diverting us from daily task and duties
 Compromising to credibility, security and safety
 Emotionally charged
What reporters look for in crisis
situations :
 Unusual
 Affects on people and victims
 Secret
 Conflicts between people
 Conflicts between or among organization
 Conflicts between opposing forces or ideas
 results of mistakes; and
 Culprits who are responsible
 THREE CATEGORIES OF MEDIA NEEDS
DURING CRISIS SITUATIONS
1 . The Media needs access to :

a) Suspected criminals / culprits

b) Negotiators
c) Government spokesperson
d) Witnesses
e) security forces / authorities in charge
f) Hostage or victim
g) Hostage or victim’s relatives

2. The Media needs Operational space for :

a) Equipment
b) People
c) News feeds
d) interviews
 THREE CATEGORIES OF MEDIA NEEDS
DURING CRISIS SITUATIONS

3 . The media needs Verification Resources to :

a) Clarity facts
b) check information
c) get credible comment
d) validate their stories
Observations about media caught in a crisis
situation :
 Media does not have experienced crisis-beat reporters .

 The media will not take time to understand what you are going
through during a crisis situation .

 The media will not understand and help out even if you may have
explained everything to them .

 The media will always demand greater access, especially during

crisis situation.
Observations about media caught in a crisis
situation :
 The media will almost impatiently demand to know what is
happening in crisis situation and will be resourceful enough to get
additional facts from other people .

 The media do not work independently and verify facts vigorously

during crisis as they do during regular reporting assignments.
What the media will ask :
CASUALTIES
 1) number killed or injured or who escaped
 2) nature of injuries received
 3) care given to the injured
 4) disposition of the dead
 5)prominence of anyone who has killed, injured or escaped
PROPERTY
 1) estimated values of loss
 2) description of property
 3) importance of the property
 4) other property threatened
 5) insurance protection
 6) previous emergencies in the area
What the media will ask :
CAUSES
 1) testimony of participants
 2) testimony of witnesses
 3) testimony of key responders – the crisis
management team, police, fire, etc.
 4) how emergency was discovered
 5) who sounded the alarm
 6) who summoned for aid
 7) previous indication of danger
RESCUE AND RELIEF

 1) the number of people engaged in rescue and relief

operations
 2) any prominent person in relief crew
 3) equipment used
 4)physically disabled persons rescued
 5) care of destitute and homeless
 6) how the emergency was prevented from spreading
 7) how property was saved
 8) acts of heroism
DESCRIPTION OF THE CRISIS OR DISASTER
 1) extent of emergency
 2) blasts and explosions
 3) crimes of violence
 4) attempts at escape or rescue
 5) duration
 6) collapse of structures
 7) color of flames
 8) extent of spill
ACCOMPANYING INCIDENTS
 1) number of spectators, spectator attitudes and crowd
control
 2) unusual happenings
 3) anxiety, stress of families, survivors, etc.

LEGAL ACTIONS
 1) inquest and other reports
 2) police follow-up
 3) insurance company actions
 4) professional negligence or inaction
 5) suits stemming from the incident .
Aside from the routine 5 W’s and H questions, enterprise and
probing veteran reporters would further ask :
 WHO – cares , is affected, needs to be included, has a stake, is missing from
this discussion ?

 WHAT- are the consequences, does it mean to the people, would this
accomplish, values at work ?

 WHEN- were things different, can things be different, should dialogue lead
action ?

 WHERE – are we headed, is the common ground, should debate take place,
is the best entry for community participation
 WHY – is this happening, do we need discussion, are thing not happening,
should we care ?

 HOW – does it affect community life, did the community do, does my story
encourage action or help the public and the government decide ?
Areas of direction for future
collaborative efforts :
 1) Flexibility is a key .
 While it is generally acceptable to have a plan to deal with media,
your organization must remain flexible, dealing with media
inquiries on a case-by-case basis and not being locked in an overly
restrictive policy .

 2) Provide the media with only one voice .

 While the media prefer many spokespeople, your organization
should stick to just one spokesman. He should be available to one
and all in the press, and everyone in the organization should
understand that it is that person’s job alone to convey information
to the outside world .
 3) You don’t have answer every question when you are being interviewed .
 Just because the media ask doesn’t mean you have to answer . You have no
obligation to answer every question. And you should only answer questions you
are prepared to handle.

 4) Call their attention if you are wronged.

 If the media print inaccuracies, call their attention politely. Call the public
reporter or his editor and demand a correction. Correct the public record. If you
don’t, the inaccuracy will go uncorrected for so long that eventually it will be
come a “media fact “ .

 5) You can lose the media battle but still win the longer-term credibility
war .
 Sometimes, specially if you’re wrong, the most sensible thing to do is to admit
it. There is nothing as refreshing as hearing an official admit, “ We made
mistake. We’ll make restitution. It won’t happen again..” that’s how an
organization retains its credibility .