Builders and Contractors Exchange
Weekly Bulletin: 29 Nov 2004
Media: Prepare To Be The Story
By: Neil Lowenstein
Newspapers are unable, seemingly, to discriminate between a bicycle accident and the collapse of civilization. ~ George Bernard Shaw, 1931
Every construction project is a media story waiting to happen. While we hope that story is positive, such as a restoration of a previously neglected landmark, the story is instead often negative, such as a job site injury, a construction catastrophe, or an ongoing dispute. How the story and the participants are portrayed will vary on the particular facts, but with some prior planning you can perhaps try to enhance the positive and diminish the negative impacts of media coverage. Developing and maintaining a media plan can go a long way to accomplish this.
There are times when you may want to be the story. Developing a media plan will help you determine possible media outlets, contacts, and opportunities in such positive instances. However, one must be even more prepared for the times when you unintentionally become the story. When the media puts their focus on you it is too late to think about how you might respond; you simply won't have time. An in-depth, focused media plan will help avoid the "deer in headlights" effect of media inquiry, or worse barrage.
Everything you read in newspapers is absolutely true, except for that rare story of which you happen to have first-hand knowledge. ~ Erwin Knoll
While the public is perhaps more cynical now than when Mr. Knoll made this observation, there remains a tendency towards belief of the information read in print media and heard on television and radio media. It is therefore important to have a pre-planned communications strategy so the media gets the facts right before they print or broadcast them. Media and marketing specialist should be consulted to assist with your planning, but consider the following as part of your media crisis management strategy:
- Designate a media contact and make him/her known to everyone on the company. All media contact should be coordinated through this person.
- Respond to the media; they're going to make a story whether you cooperate or not. Avoid "no comment" because it is perceived as an admission of guilt. Never lie because it almost always comes out. Never go off the record because your intent may be misunderstood or it may end up on the front page anyway.
- Consider preparing media kits about your company and the project. That way they are ready for distribution, and you can focus with the media only upon the event causing the crisis at hand. Specific situations may dictate written statement about the crisis to insure publication of a single message.
- Practice implementation of your crisis action/media plan as part of your routine training. While you don't want to appear rehearsed in your media responses, practice can elevate the comfort level in dealing with the media.
- Seek counsel before you speak or publish your statement. You must presume what you say at the time will be used later. Some things simply should not be said, or only said in specific ways, consistent with the comments noted above.
The media is a practical reality in today's 24-hour news cycle. Prior media planning can help you make the most of positive media coverage and diminish the detriment of negative media coverage. As they say, "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."
Questions?
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This article is meant to bring awareness to this topic and is not intended to be used as legal advice.