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- Ashley Burningham- Maintaining Media Relations During Disasters

Ashley Burningham

Reference:
Trahan III, J. V. (1993). Media Relations in the Eye of the Storm. Public Relations Quarterly, 38(2), 31-32.

Theme: Media relations is an important component of disaster preparedness and response and we must work together to get a job done.

Summary:
- August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck Florida.
- Within 24 hours, there were hundreds of media inquiries and media personnel on scene.
- An Army Reserve Unit was activated to handle media inquires. (Joint Task Force Andrew)
- JICs Mission:
1. Handle media inquiries for Andrew
2. Coordinate media responses of all federal agencies.
3. Escort media
4. Prepare a daily media briefing
5. Assist with print and electronic products
6. Establish Radio Recovery - 24 hour a day radio coverage in three languages throughout Miami.
- Communication objectives:
1. Help inform victims where and how to get help
2. Inform people what measures were being taken
3. Inform members of the task force what was going on
4. Maintain high morale in the task force.
- Audiences:
1. Primary- victims and members of task force
2 Secondary- Miami residents, Florida residents, U. S. Citizens
-Milestones:
1. Task force fully operational by 9/2/92
2. Mobile Public Affairs by second week of September.
3. JIC had trilingual media conference speaker.
- Lessons learned:
1. Need an easy to understand crisis plan
2. Need a mobilization readiness center
3. Establish your communication channels
4. All media inquiries need to be made by one group
5. Must be totally accessible to the media.
6. Be patient with the media
7. Have realistic media deadlines.
8. Find answers to "I don't know answers" and follow up
9. Be professional an demand truthful coverage.
10. Pracice

Application to Lesson:
This weeks lesson was about media relations and disaster preparedness. This article discussed Hurricane Andrew and how their disaster response involved the media. It included experiences as well as lessons learned.

Application to Career:
The media is an extremely relevant component of responding to a scene. They will be there, and they are usually the messenger of information to the public. It is important to establish and maintains healthy relationships with local media. Better relationships will decrease the complexity of responding to a disaster later.

6 - Media catching and media relations - Martin de la Cruz

Media covering Pres. Obama - procommunicator.com

Reference

Waters, R. D., Tindall, N. J., & Morton, T. S. (2010). Media Catching and the Journalist-Public Relations Practitioner Relationship: How Social Media are Changing the Practice of Media Relations. Journal Of Public Relations Research, 22(3), 241-264. doi:10.1080/10627261003799202

Theme

PIOs and other public relations people need to be looking at the social media as a way to reach journalists.

Summary

Rather than waiting for the stories from public relations practitioners journalists are now using social media to get story ideas.

By using technology and social media journalists get public relations practitioners to compete with story ideas. This phenomenon is called media catching.  See more at: http://www.instituteforpr.org/scienceofsocialmedia/media-catching-and-the-journalist-public-relations-practitioner-relationship-how-social-media-are-changing-the-practice-of-media-relations/#sthash.hdEl4pL7.dpuf

Traditional media are using twitter, but new media outlets have turned to online services like HARO (Help-a-Reporter-Out.com) and LISTSERV technology to get story ideas

Application to the lesson

Media relations is the idea of cultivating a relationship with journalists and editors before an emergency.  This is crucial in developing an understanding of the role and needs of the media. When technology takes over, like with media catching, it becomes more difficult to develop relations with journalists, because as a PIO you may never see them.  Thus, it becomes even more important as a PIO to reach out and meet journalists.

Application to emergency services

In order to garner positive media attention, it is necessary to actively engage journalists instead of waiting for the journalists to cover you on their own. 

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 - THE PIO: A POSITION WITH INFINITE BOUNDARIES - Chris Schippers

Chris Schippers

Reference:  Ruda, S. J. (1998). The PIO: A position with infinite boundaries. Fire Engineering, 151(12), 61. Retrieved on October 10, 2013 from http://ezproxy.uvu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=1774778&site=ehost-live

Theme:  This article discusses the role of the Public Information Officer and why it is necessary to have one.  It also points out the responsibilities of the PIO and the skills required to be one.

Summary:

·         Service agencies are realizing the importance of having staff capable of handling media relations.

·         To be effective, the PIO must be well trained and well informed.

·         The PIO must be prepared for possible attention from the rest of the world, not just the community they are assigned to.

·         Discusses the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma and how the PIO was responsible for informing the world of search and rescue operations for victims of the explosion.

·         It is not unusual today to receive calls from the local media asking how well prepared your department is to handle a major emergency, a natural disaster, or a terrorist attack similar to one that had recently occurred in some other community, state, or country.

·         Talks about the PIO of the Los Angeles Fire Department and preparedness.

·         Discussed the use of multiple PIOs and their responsibility in the LA riots of 1992.

·         During the riot there were multiple fires up to four or five started within a minute and the media gave of the wrong impression of the Fire department, showing unattended fires.

·         Explained how the PIO let the public know that they were triaging the fires and attending to those most threatening to the neighborhoods were responded to first.

·         The media then became allies of the fire department after the information given by the PIO.

·         Defines natural disasters.

·         The PIO and his staff work around the clock in order to see to it that the public doesn't take for granted the services the department provides. It is the duty of the PIO's staff to make sure that their bosses, the taxpayers, are aware of the fire department's accomplishments.

·         Highlights accomplishments of the PIO for Los Angeles processing more than 123 press releases; has responded to 51,919 media inquires; and has disseminated to the media and city officials 16,833 notifications of newsworthy incidents.

·         Goes over required skills such as interpersonal communications, oral and written communications, ability to interact with city government officials, time management skills, and organizational skills.

·         The PIO must be motivated and have the ability to motivate others.

·         The PIO is undergoing a continual learning process. Ideally, most of the learning will be the result of experience, not mistakes.

Application to the Lesson Topic:

Over the course of the article the importance of a Public Information Officer is brought to your attention and show what value they are to the Los Angeles Fire Department.  This applies to the lesson topic in that it talks all about the what a Public Information Officer is, what it does, and what skills it take to be one.

Application to Emergency Services:

After reading this article, Emergency Service departments everywhere can see the value and importance of the Public Information Officer and why it is necessary to have one.  If it weren't for a PIO, the media would not have a source of accurate information and this could ultimately hinder the operations and response to disaster management.  Not to mention, the PIO responsibility of keeping the public informed is crucial to the public's survival before, during, and after disasters.

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.