6 - Journalists and Emergency Managers Discuss Disaster Response - Mike Wayman

Reference:

Veil, S. R. (2012). Clearing the Air: Journalists and Emergency Managers Discuss Disaster Response. Journal Of Applied Communication Research,40(3), 289-306. doi:10.1080/00909882.2012.679672

Summary:

• Emergency managers and journalists share a goal of delivering vital information to the public in a disaster.
• Achieving this goal requires that emergency managers and journalists work together. This study examines the struggle between emergency managers and journalists to identify communication challenges and to provide suggestions for improving the emergency–media relationship.
• Communication issues that can affect the relationship and get in the way of communication include stereotypical judgments, a lack of trust, and unrealistic expectations.
• How each is identified and their perceived affiliations to larger government and media structures contribute to the lack of trust.
• The article suggests that when emergency managers and journalists are better informed about each others' professions, and when they develop stronger relationships within their own organizations, the quality and timeliness of information delivered to the public will improve.

Application to the lesson topic: When emergency services and the media work together the information the public needs is released efficiently and effectively.

Application to emergency services: Emergency services need to understand how the media works to be able to work with them. When they learn about the media, emergency services can make sure they deliver the most effective information the media will need and use. 

6 - Clearing the Air - Sylvia C Kearney

Reference: Veil, S. R. (2012). Clearing the Air: Journalists and Emergency Managers Discuss Disaster Response. Journal Of Applied Communication Research, 40(3), 289-306. doi:10.1080/00909882.2012.679672

Theme: A Way To Improve the Public Information Officer Relationship and Journalist

Summary: How Do We Abate the Differences of Discourse between PIO’s and the Media?

There seem to be communication challenges between Public Information Officers and Journalists. We are often told on many occasions to find our media contacts and befriend them. Communication issues do arise on occasions, but can they affect the relationship between the two entities, PIO and Media?  

1)    Lack of Trust – When a disaster occurs, “a sense of threat, urgency, and destruction, often on a monumental scale, “ arises. (Seeger, Sellnow, & Ulmer, 2003, p. 4) During that time of communicating the information to,  “protect health, safety, and the environment,” (Veil, S. R. 2012) is vital. If there are holes in the information that the public receives, uncertainty begins to dwell. The public will try and fill these holes and anxiety rises and misinformation will spread.

2)    Paradoxical Challenges – There is a sense within the PIO that Journalists only want to sensationalize the disaster and stir up panic to get their viewers to tune into their organization. Journalists on the other hand, feel that PIO’s hold back a lot of information and even, “obstruct rather than facilitate the flow of information to the public.” (Veil, S. R. 2012) It is said that PIO’s will not allow for all information to come out protecting the community from public panic. Berkowitz (2009) states, “‘‘Journalists end up in a role of protecting society from corruption, while officials . . . take on the task of protecting their own interests at all costs’’ (p. 102).

3)    Inhibited Collaboration – Sometimes information is not shared between the two PIO and Media organizations.

Application: Lack of trust limits effective communication. PIO’s understand that most journalists have not been trained in covering emergencies. Collaboration has been the most pivotal point by far, to get both, the PIO and the media to the table. Research has proven that, “ . . . to advise emergency managers, to engage the media, through open and honest communication, and use the media as a strategic resource to aid in managing the crisis’’ (Seeger, 2006, p. 241)

Application in EMS: It is important for the PIO to achieve a favorable relationship with the media by understanding how journalists work. It is also important to develop a close relationship with the Journalists (media), and offer them information of disaster that fits into their story frame. On the other hand, Journalists should not walk up to a police officer or firefighter to get closer to the scene, but seek out the PIO and communicate with him to get a better view of the disaster. Maybe we could give journalists some classes, i.e. don’t come to a wildfire with flip-flops on, and maybe we can learn from journalists how to speak and behave in front of the camera. The old adage, “I scratch your back you scratch mine,” has worked for me in many situations, especially in places where I did not know anyone.

6 - Journalists and emergency managers discuss disaster response - Andrea Graff

Reading summary 6 - Andrea Graff

Reference: Veil, S. (2012). Clearing the air: journalists and emergency managers discuss disaster response. Journal of applied communication research. Routledge.

Theme: Establishing a relationship between emergency managers and journalists is one of the most important pre-planning things you can do.

Summary:

• Over the years the relationship between the media and emergency managers or PIOs has had a bad reputation and the citizens of the communities are the ones being affected. 

• If emergency services managers don't form relationships with journalists and are unwilling to give information when asked, the journalist is going to get the information one way or another, even if from an unreliable source.

• Emergency managers and journalists need to work together and cultivate a relationship built on trust, by the manager giving accurate and timely information and the journalist reporting only what is given by the manager.

• Having an established relationship with the manager will greatly enhance the chances of getting the story and shots the journalist is looking for.

• There seem to be a lot of trust issues between managers and journalists. Journalists think managers are holding back information and managers think journalists come in saying they want to do a story about one thing, but then do it about something else that is negative.

Application to the lesson topic:
Emergency managers and journalists getting along and getting accurate and timely information to the public is a necessary practice that needs to be worked on. Trust needs to be built way before an incident occurs.

Application to emergency services:
Establish relationships with your local media crews and journalists. Allow them to explain their reasoning for doing what they do and also explain yours in hopes of understanding one another. We need to realize it's not always up to them what airs and what doesn't, if there's a bigger story at the time that is going to get the air time.