A big part of a safety professional’s job is to anticipate and prepare for the unexpected. Unfortunately, every organization in the world is susceptible to surprises that can spiral out of control. And in those instances, organizations assume a new challenge: handling the media that show up to report on the incident.

The Media Factor

It’s 2007. A nasty Valentine’s Day storm has grounded hundreds of flights across the country. Tens of thousands of passengers are stranded. Most of them wait it out in the comfort of food courts inside heated airports outfitted with shops and Internet access. But hundreds of Jet Blue travelers, including small children, aren’t as lucky. They’re trapped for 10 hours on planes at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York with no food, overflowing toilets and, perhaps most agonizingly, little information.

The media converges on JFK. It’s a public relations nightmare. CNN reports that parents on the planes are ripping up T-shirts to make diapers for their babies. Jet Blue CEO David Neeleman says he’s “humiliated and mortified” by the meltdown.

Meltdowns can happen even at well run companies. But in this era of blogs, chat rooms and 24/7 news coverage, such incidents can take down in nanoseconds a reputation and image that companies have spent decades to cultivate.

Turning Media into Mouthpiece

The flip side of risk is opportunity. While the media can destroy, it can also be used by companies to define the issue and tell their story to the public. To make the media your mouthpiece you need to take off your safety professional hat and put on your customer cap. Think of the story from the public’s perspective to grasp how it will be covered, what questions will be asked and what you can do to shape the story. Here are some pointers to keep in mind:

Don’t Be Defensive: The public doesn’t care about your problems, especially if they’re affected by the incident. So an it’s-not-our-fault attitude doesn’t cut ice. Quite frankly, people don’t care if it’s your fault. What they care about is answers. So, instead of going on the defensive, look for opportunities to be part of the solution.

To use another example from the airline industry, during the Christmas holiday several years ago, U.S. Airways passengers were treated to mounds of missing luggage piled sky-high at Philadelphia International Airport’s baggage claim. As local photographers captured the images and angry passengers publicly vented, airport personnel rode in to the rescue, handing out coffee, taking names and numbers and trying to reunite passengers with their bags. These efforts became part of the story presented to the public which portrayed the airport as caring, compassionate and proactive. The moral: Your efforts to fix a problem often leave a more lasting impression than the problem itself.

Talk Early and Often: Reporters won’t wait for you to provide information. They’ll interview the people affected by what’s happening and report the story from their viewpoint. Of course, this often causes their reports to be laden with speculation and inaccuracy. Moreover, when the victim’s is the only perspective, the company comes across as uncaring and indifferent. The moral: It’s critical for you to provide whatever information you can as fast as possible. Even if you don’t have all the details, you need to weigh in and let the reporters know that you’re on top of the situation and will furnish information as soon as it becomes available.

Make Yourself Available: Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes was asked what he would do if a reporter from the show showed up at a company he was running. His response: “I’d say, ‘Come in. Ask me anything you want.’” There you have it right from the horse’s mouth. If you get a phone call from reporters, return it promptly. If they ask you a question, answer it as promptly and fully as you can. The moral: Making yourself available creates an environment of openness and honesty and establishes relationships with people who cover your industry and can become your allies.

Conclusion

A good reporter knows the importance of keeping things brief. With this in mind, I’ll pause here and serve up the rest of the pointers next week.

Wishing you career success,
Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet, www.execunet.com

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