An explosion occurs at your plant. It is a full-fledged disaster. You are about to address the media and you wonder, "What in the world am I doing here? - I'm a safety director, not a press agent." As you speak to the TV cameras and microphones, you think to yourself:

"Am I saying the right thing?"

"Will they understand what I'm saying or distort my words?"

"Will I get fired for saying the wrong thing?"

Facing the media is a daunting task even for seasoned politicians, corporate spokespersons and other professionals who do it all the time. For a safety director who's not used to facing the media, it is even more intimidating. After all, media skills are not part of the safety director's usual job description.

What makes it even more of a challenge is that there are unwritten rules that apply when handling requests for and engaging in news interviews. It is in fact a kind of game that you can win or lose depending on how you follow those rules. But, of course, if you do not know those rules, you have no hope of success.

Our purpose in writing this article is to help you understand the rules so you have a fair shot at playing the game and coming out victorious. The advice in this article applies throughout an organization, from the lowest reporting levels to the very top. But it will probably have its greatest value among those in the supervisory and managerial ranks, especially those in the field, because these are the people who are most likely to face the media during the first minutes or hours of an emergency.

You Must Be Prepared

Media relations is not something you can learn on the fly. You need to be ready in advance to face the media. The essence of preparation is to know your company policy and its approach to community relations. You should also carry with you at all times the names and telephone numbers of key public relations or management personnel to whom you can refer reporters.

The best way to prepare is to create a media relations plan that addresses:

• Who will be the designated spokesperson during an emergency?
• Who will serve as backup?
• Where will interviews take place?
• Does each employee know how to politely decline interview requests and direct reporters instead to a designated spokesperson?
• Who else (corporate headquarters, law enforcement, etc.) can you refer reporters to?
• Have you set up provisions for monitoring and recording news stories involving your company?
• Do you personally know the television and newspaper reporters in your community?

The Official Statement: What The Public Needs To Know

When an incident occurs, you should prepare a statement giving your company's explanation and views. Hopefully, this will answer the media's important questions.

Deliver the statement orally, but do not refer to your remarks as a statement. The only person who should provide a statement is a company officer or public relations spokesperson. Simply give the facts as you know them, roughly in this order:

• Your name and the reason you are here.
• Exactly what happened.
• Whether anyone was hurt.
• What your major concern is right now. (In every case, your major concern should be for safety and the environment.)
• Whether there is any danger right now to employees or the public.
• The steps you are taking to bring the situation under control.
• Whether there has been a spill or release of material into the environment.
• Whether there been any evacuation or disruption of services to the community.
• Who else the media can turn to for information.

It is acceptable and even prudent to work from notes as you deliver your remarks. But try to avoid reading a lengthy statement.

Expect to be asked questions after you finish giving your prepared remarks. Also expect questions to cover topics you did not cover in your remarks. It would be wise not to answer some of these questions, including those about:

• The exact cause of the accident;
• Whose fault the accident was;
• The dollar estimate of damage;
• What-if or speculation; and
• Any other question about the past, the future, or about company policy.

Simply point out that you're not the one to answer such a question; the reporter should contact another source. Then suggest one.

Conclusion

Next week, in Part 2, we will discuss how to handle reporters before, during and after interviews.

MEDIA RELATIONS CASE STUDY

Aftermath of the West Pharmaceutical plant explosion in Kinston, NC.

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

West Pharmaceutical Services is a $500 million public corporation that manufactures rubber components for drug vials and syringes. On January 29, 2003, a dust explosion at its Kinston, NC plant, killed six and injured 38, including two firefighters that responded to the incident.

West's media response was swift and skillful:

• It immediately issued a press statement and sent its CEO to the plant where he was interviewed by AP, CBS News, ABC News and the local media;
• Later, when speculation arose, West held a news conference to clear up confusion, letting the media know that criminal and terrorist activity had been ruled out and that the company was working with investigators to determine the cause of the blast;
• The company issued a constant stream of press statements explaining the efforts it was making to provide grief counseling, find affected workers new jobs and thanking rescue workers and doctors for their efforts; and
• West organized a community- and company-wide memorial service.

Throughout the crisis and its aftermath, media coverage of West was uniformly favorable or neutral. Unlike in other disasters involving big corporations, there were no media attacks. Two months after the disaster, West's stock price was virtually unchanged.

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