10- Randy Rask- Crisis Communication and the New York Anthrax Attacks

Randy Rask

Reference:  Mullin, Sandra (2003)  Journal of Health Communication; Jul2003 Supplement 1, Vol. 8, p15, 2p

Theme:  How certain communication strategies helped the public during the anthrax attacks in New York City in 2001.  Mayor Giuliani displays great communication skills during these attacks and his template is now used for crisis communications. 

Summary: 

-          In 2001, a man by the name of Bob Stevens who lived in New York City had been diagnosed with anthrax. 

-          A panic started to form around the city of New York.  This is when Mayor Rudy Giuliani held a press conference on the matter.  Mayor Giuliani was known around this time for displaying great communication skills during the 9/11 attacks only a month earlier.  He had been holding a very large amount of press conferences during this time about relief efforts. 

-          Mayor Giuliani is described as someone who displays empathy and mastery over information during press conferences. 

-          These skills helped him to report information during the anthrax scares.  Press conferences would be key during the anthrax response. 

-          Many troubles came about from these anthrax scares including unclear messages for the public, anxiety, and "sealed-envelope" information.  By having good crisis communication skills and previous crisis communication experience, Mayor Giuliani helped the public receive accurate and timely information on the issue.

 

Application to Lesson Topic:

                Press conferences can be a game changer during a crisis.  By displaying proper media communication skills during a disaster, you are able to keep the public informed, keep misinformation at bay, and get the public on your side.  By doing this, relief efforts will prove to be more efficient.  Mayor Giuliani displays good crisis communication skills during 9/11 and the anthrax scares a month later.  By having these skills, the public was well informed the panic was mitigated.  Without these skills, the situation could have possibly spiraled out of control much worse than they did.

Application to Emergency Services:

In the emergency service field, we are often required to participate in press conferences so that the media has something to report during a disaster.  Crisis communication skills are very important to possess when participating in these press conferences.  By following Mayor Giuliani's template for crisis communication, we will be able to more effectively speak to the media. 

Lesson 10 Summary Press Conference

James Delli Gatti

Power and affiliation in presidential press conferences: A study on interruptions, jokes and laughter

Reference: Ekström, M. (2009). Power and affiliation in presidential press conferences: A study on interruptions, jokes and laughter. Journal Of Language & Politics, 8(3), 386-415. doi:10.1075/jlp.8.3.03eks

Theme: Press Conference

Summary: This Journal article is about politicians and their relationship with the media during press conferences. This article goes on to state that press conferences are the venue where politicians are interrogated by the press and where they are held accountable to the public;

"the press conference is one of the central arenas for meetings between journalists and leading politicians. It's an enduring and legitimate form for public interrogations and political accountability, broadcasted live and extensively reported in the news media."(Ekstrom,2009)

This is an important aspect of American culture that is necessary in keeping our government accountable to the people that they serve and represent.

This article discusses the use of interruptions and humor by political figures in order to control the press conference. The use of interruptions is used to pause the news media reporter and it also suggested that this tactic was used to assert dominance over the news reporter; when the reports actions appear to be in opposition to or in disagreement with the politician.

Humor on the other hand is used during press conferences in order to mitigate an error to a statement, to handle nervousness during the press conference, and to face a perceived threat. In an attempt to control the stressful environment that is very prevalent during press conferences interruptions and humor are used by politicians as a means to handle the many difficult questions that reporters can present for them to answer in their difficult task of keeping politicians honest and accountable for their actions to the American people.

Application to the lesson topic: Press conferences are used for many different reasons, by many different people and organizations, and to disseminate a myriad of information. It is important that press conferences are organized and that the information that you want disseminated is disseminated. It is also important that you exhibit control of the press conference with any means possible.

Application to emergency services: During an emergency press conference it is important that you control the press conference by any means available. Interruptions and humor are two strategies that you can utilize in order to achieve this goal.

Ekström, M. (2009). Power and affiliation in presidential press conferences: A study on interruptions, jokes and laughter. Journal Of Language & Politics, 8(3), 386-415. doi:10.1075/jlp.8.3.03eks

10 - Tips For Better Press Briefings - Michael Newland

 Michael Newland

Reference:

Strenski, J. B., & APR. (n.d.). Tips For Better Press Briefings. Public Relations Quarterly. Fall76, Vol.21 Issue 3, pp. 28-29.

Theme: Tips to creating a better press conference.

Summary:

·         Consider your news announcement; evaluate the publication through which you’d like to tell your story. Learn about their editorial content and what they treat as news.

·         Make sure your news fits the publication before you waste the editor’s time.

·         If you’re trying to get across a point of view or establish a personality, instead of a press briefing, consider one-on-one interviews.

·         If your goal is to communicate a concept or an idea, perhaps your approach is a press seminar or forum which involves editors with expertise in the area of  your subject matter.

·         If you have a product development that you feel should attract more than the usual news release attention but isn’t newsworthy enough for a full-fledged press conference, consider a press conference by mail.

·         If you still feel you have news that warrants a press conference or a press briefing, plan it carefully.

·         In developing the details for a press conference, certain buzz words can be used as reminders of the techniques that help make for a success.

·         1. Pique the curiosity of the press in your invitation. 2. Remind the editors of your event, again, before it happens. 3. Service the editor’s needs with complete background material, appropriate illustrations, orientation of client spokesmen to editorial needs. 4. Follow-up the briefing with appropriate photographs and any other material editors may want.

Application to the Lesson Topic:

This week’s lesson topic is press conferences. It is important to understand how press conferences work in order to create the best image for yourself and your agency.

Application to Emergency Services:

When disaster strikes press conferences are extremely important. They are a great way to get out important information to the media and to the public. It is important for emergency responders to know how to do a good press conference because at one point they may find themselves having to do one.

10- Ashley Burningham- Press conference revamp

Press Conference Revamp

Reference:

O'Brien, T. (2004). Renovating "This Old Press Conference". Public Relations Tactics, 11(12), 15.

Theme:

Press conferences are a useful tool in information sharing. You need to revamp the way you do press conferences in order to regain attention.  

Summary:

- PR disasters produce how-to and how-not-to articles. 

- O' Brien was waiting for media to arrive at a press conference. 

- Federal employee was supposed to give his client more than $2 million to create jobs. 

- At the same time, murderer was being arraigned down the street. 

- This eliminated tv coverage for O'Brien's event. 

- The key to television coverage is location and timing. 

- Only hold a press conference when the story is likely to generate media interest. 

- If so, hold it at convenience and efficiency for client and media. 

- Old fashioned press conferences are becoming less common. 

- Understand that you can't control the media. 

- Cover the myriad of details and make media contacts. 

TIPS:

- Don't call it a press conference (boring). Call if a briefing, opportunity, etc. 

- Don't conduct in normal business setting. 

- Manage expectations. 

- Think visually. 

- Never guarantee coverage. 

- When all else fails, keep your head up. 

Application to lesson:

This weeks lesson was about disaster press conferences. While this article didn't focus on a disaster press conference, it gave some important tips that are applicable for a disaster press conference like only hold a press conference if necessary, work at convenience for client and media, and revamp your press conferences. 

Application to career:

While this article focused on a press release for a company, the meaning is applicable to public safety. You can't control the media. What you can do is make your best effort at getting your work done. The idea of revamping a press conference is also applicable for public safety, and many have done this through the use of social media. 

How social media is changing disaster response

Reading Summary #9-Ray Huntzinger

 

Reference: Skarda, E. (2011, June 9). How social media is changing disaster response. Time US. Retrieved on November 9, 2013, from http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2076195,00.html

 

Theme: This article relays sever successful stories of social media use during the 2011 Joplin tornado and Japanese earthquake.

 

Summary:

 

·         Dozens of Facebook pages sprouted up following the Joplin tornado, allowing survivors to quickly get information, check on the status of family/friends, and comforting survivors and families/friends of survivors.

·         Many survivors of the Joplin tornado relied on social media rather than information and assistance from traditional services like the Red Cross and local relief agencies.

·         Although the resident of Joplin mainly used social networks during the storm recovery, Japanese citizens used Facebook, Twitter, and Mix to send warnings during the event, ask for help, and pass on information.

·         Twitter reported a record number of tweets the day of the 2011 Japanese earthquake.

·         Following the Japanese earthquake many citizens used Facebook and Twitter to connect with family/friends and to receive situational updates.

·         Social media was the primary mechanism that gave Japanese citizens an underlying picture of the status of the events.

 

Application to the lesson topic:

The article acted as proof that people have and will rely on social media during and following major disasters. One has to only look at the number of people connecting with family members and ascertaining information to be convinced of the impact social media has during a disaster. The lesson provided the class with an opportunity to get familiar with Twitter which was one of the major social media mechanisms during the 2011 Japanese earthquake.

 

Application to emergency services:

The lesson familiarized me with Twitter as an emergency preparation, response, and recovery tool; and the article convinced me that modern-day emergency management agencies must tap into this resource. Although traditional methods of emergency messaging should continue, the future involves social media and its many mechanisms. 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson 9 reading summary Hurricane Sandy, Flooding and fury

James Delli Gatti

Hurricane Sandy, Flooding and fury

Reference: Trossman, S. (2012). Flooding and fury. (Cover story). American Nurse, 44(6), 1-9.

Theme: Social Media and disasters

Summary: This news article is about the nurses of the Jersey Shore University Medical Centers coordination with the states disaster personnel the week before the crisis in order to prepare for the impending catastrophe. Along with their planning to ensure that the hospital had enough supplies and equipment in order to get them through the storm they also prepared the hospital facility its self with a sand bag perimeter in order to prevent flooding of the facility as well as created a place for hospital staff to eat and sleep for up to a week in the facility if needed.

One thing that the staff was underprepared for was the loss of telecommunications at the facility. The nursing staff turned to FaceBook in order to provide safety information from FEMA and address questions and concerns of the public;

"We rerouted our phone system to our CFO's (chief financial officer) cell phone, and she triaged calls as they came in, "said Barnett, who lived in and at some points worked out of a friend's house because her own home lacked electricity and heat. Social media, Facebook in particular, took on new meaning. NJSNA used it to post information as soon as it came in on anything they believed would be useful: volunteer information for Red Cross and state emergency centers, emergency numbers, FEMA notices, and the location of stations that were selling, and in some counties, providing free gas to nurses who needed it to get to work."(Trossman,2012)

The hospital staff was able to receive information and pass along emergency information to the public through the use of social media.

Application to the lesson topic: The nursing staff at this major hospital was able to use social media to communicate emergency information to the public in a timely manner even when the power was out to their building through the use of cellular technology.

Application to emergency services: During an emergency situation emergency service personnel are expected to be able to think on their feet. They are expected to come up with solutions to communication issues; among many other things, during a disaster. You never know when certain technologies that you rely on will fail you, so it is always important to ensure that you have alternate means to complete your tasks.  

Trossman, S. (2012). Flooding and fury. (Cover story). American Nurse, 44(6), 1-9.

Reading Summary from Mike Wayman

Reference

Adam, N., Shafiq, B., & Staffin, R. (2012). Spatial Computing and Social Media in the Context of Disaster Management. IEEE Intelligent Systems,27(6), 90-96

Theme: The use of social media and apps have made a huge impact on how information is delivered. Using these resources have made reports of a disaster in real time the norm. The use of social media can help those making decisions about the emergency easier and quicker.

Summary:

• The growing trend of using smart phones and other GPS-enabled devices has provided new opportunities for developing apps and technologies in new ways.
• One promising application area for this is social media and its application to disaster management.
• Real-time incident information collected from people on the ground about the extent of damage, how the disaster unfolded, the community's needs, and responders' ability to deal with the situation, combined with information from the larger emergency management community, could lead to more accurate and real-time awareness.
• Social media helps make informed decisions, better resource distribution and a better response and outcome to the disaster.
• The US Department of Homeland Security's Science & Technology Directorate (DHS-S&T) has initiated the Social Media Alert and Response to Threats to Citizens" (SMART-C) program, which aims to develop a citizen participation with the capability for decision making throughout the disaster via a multitude of devices and social media sites.

Application to the lesson topic: Social media is becoming common place way for people all over to communicate and stay in touch, especially when a disaster strikes.

Application to Emergency Services: The use of social media has proven to be invaluable when it comes to a disaster. Getting information out to family and friends of those affected is almost instantaneous with the use of sites such as Twitter. Social media also helps those on the ground during a disaster call out for help.